


House Rules

by combatfaerie



Series: House Rules [1]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Brollins, Don't copy to another site, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Sex, Sexual Content, rollynch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:02:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/combatfaerie/pseuds/combatfaerie
Summary: When Becky and Seth hook up after a long night, it was supposed to be a one-time thing. Then they come to an agreement: casual, no strings attached, and only at each other's houses. But as all the conditions they set get shoved to the side, will broken rules lead to broken hearts? (Seriously, it's basically just them having sex. If you're looking for a plot, that princess is in another castle, my friend.)
Relationships: Becky Lynch | Rebecca Knox/Seth Rollins | Tyler Black
Series: House Rules [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860730
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

_Why did I have to be nice?_ Even though he hadn't said the words aloud, Seth could hear the whine that would be in his tone and even he had to cringe as he walked up to his door. It wasn't like it was a huge deal. Becky was a good friend, after all, and she had to do a meet and greet in Davenport, so he had asked if she wanted to stay at his place rather than a hotel. He was going to be away anyway, and he thought she'd appreciate staying in a house with some personality—and privacy from fans—instead of yet another hotel. Now that he was home earlier than expected, though, he just wanted to zone out and play some video games for a while; company and energetic chatting were both pretty low on his wish list.

He disarmed and reset the security alarm quickly, half surprised Becky had remembered to activate it in the first place. A few sharp beeps rang out, and Seth hoped they hadn't woken her up. As he walked through the living room, he realized he needn't have worried: a lamp was on low and the television was paused on some Netflix show he hadn't seen. Glancing down at the couch, he saw a fuzzy grey blanket flipped back as if Becky had just gotten up. _Why was she sleeping out here?_ The guest suite was cozy; Seth had spent a few nights in there himself before breaking up with his last girlfriend, so he had made sure it was comfortable. Then he heard a noise from the kitchen and he peered around the corner. "Be—"

"AAAH!" Seth wasn't sure which hit him first: Becky's startled scream or the snack bowl she had tossed at him, fuelled by panic and reflexes. Her second scream was shorter and quieter, more a way to shake off the sudden fear than anything. "Oh fuck. Seth. Oh, thank god." She staggered back a step in relief, popcorn crunching under her feet, and held a hand to her chest. "Holy shit."

Seth was still plucking popcorn out of his hair and saying a silent thanks that his dog was with his mother, so it took him a moment to take in the whole scene. _Damn._ Becky was shaking out her hands now, trying to banish the last tingles of adrenaline, but his gaze was drawn lower. He knew she preferred wrestling gear that covered her stomach because of some insecurities she still harboured, but from what he could see—which was currently _a lot_ —she had no reason to worry. He wasn't sure if what she was wearing would be considered booty shorts or underwear, but they were tiny and tight and left everything between its low waist and the high, ragged edge of an old, cropped Pearl Jam shirt bare. The t-shirt had definitely seen better days, but Becky had clearly tried to prolong its life, hacking away at fraying bits until it was the crop top it was now. The sleeves were long gone, leaving arm holes that offered just a peek of her breasts from the side. Seth forced himself to look up, but that didn't help much: Becky's face was as striking as the rest of her. "Hey. Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. One of the shows got cancelled, so. . . ." He gestured vaguely towards the front door. "Didn't you hear the alarm beep?"

Still wide-eyed, Becky shook her head. "I had the popcorn in the microwave. I just thought the beep was louder than normal because I was right in the kitchen." Then she glanced down at the drift of popcorn on the floor. Miraculously, between being thrown from Becky's hands and hitting Seth's chest, the bowl had somehow retained enough popcorn to cover the bottom. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up right away." When she bent down to grab the bowl, Seth's gaze naturally followed, drawn to the gaping neckline of her shirt. "Where's your vac—" Becky glanced up at him and blushed when she followed his gaze. "Sorry. Again. Shit." She stood quickly and tried to tug her shirt down, but it didn't help much. "I'll . . . I'll go get dressed and then I'll be right back to clean things up."

"Don't worry about it." Seth's entire mouth felt parched and his gaze kept dipping down to Becky's hips. _I bet her ass looks amazing in those._ The thought took him by surprise and he was grateful it hadn't made its way to his tongue. What was he even thinking? He and Becky had been close for years, from the early days of NXT to the main roster. She was at his house as a guest, out of kindness. And it wasn't like he hadn't seen her in various states of undress before; that was the nature of wrestling backstage, especially in the early days of NXT when they were piecing things together—storylines as well as ring gear—as they went along. So why was his brain picking now to wonder what it would be like to slide his hand up that shirt or down into— _No,_ he told himself, shaking popcorn off his arms and shoulders. _Enough of that._

Glancing up at Becky's face—and working hard to keep his gaze there—Seth reconsidered. She had been licking her lips before he met her gaze and she took a big gulp of air as she stopped, wrapping her arms across her abdomen. "I . . . I should. . . ," she stammered again, pupils huge in the dim light. Seth had seen that type of look often enough to know it had nothing to do with adrenaline or being startled.

"Don't." He hadn't taken his shoes off yet, and the crunch of the popcorn under his soles was oddly satisfying. Seth stopped right in front of her, their gazes still melded.

He started the kiss. He knew he did. He cupped her head with one hand and meant to slide the other around her waist, but it ventured lower, fingers digging into her ass. _She's going to smack me,_ Seth thought. _She's going to pull back and slap me and kick me in the balls and I probably deserve all of it, but DAMN._ He was gripped by a strange blend of sensations, the cinnamon-warm glow of a curiosity sated—a silent question answered, a secret wish fulfilled—and the sharper heat of lust digging its claws into his hips as he pressed her against the wall. It all translated to _more_.

As soon as he felt her right leg lift up, Seth knew he should stop and guard his groin, but then her arms were twining around his neck like ascending ivy, hands gripping his hair. _Is she trying to climb—?_ Curious, Seth took his hand away from the back of her head and curled it around the back of her thigh, lifting her slightly. As soon as her feet were off the ground, Becky locked her legs around his waist. _DAMN._

Becky eventually broke the kiss not with a slap, but with a small whimper of pain when a light switch dug into her back. "Oh god. Oh fuck. I'm sorry. I made a mess of your house and now I've—"

Seth stopped her with another kiss, hoisting her up high enough that the tiny wet patch on her panties—or shorts or whatever they were—pressed against the spot where his shirt had ridden up. _Good,_ he thought hazily, staggering towards the couch and nearly whacking his shin on the coffee table. _It's not just me._ He managed to sit without losing his grip on her or bashing their heads together. His hands were halfway up Becky's back, making her shirt rise, when she stopped to breathe again. "Don't. Don't apologize," he rasped, almost growling as she tried to move back further on his lap. He was achingly hard and the sudden pressure made him moan. "Haven't you ever thought about it?" His voice was a low rumble, making them both shiver, and he moved his hands down to her hips. "What it would be like?"

She couldn't quite meet his gaze until he tucked a hand under her chin and kept it in place. "Us? This?" When she glanced down and saw how wet her panties were, she blushed and took a shaky breath. "Yeah. I mean. . . ." Then her expression darkened. "But you just brok—"

"I don't care." Seth kissed her again, a bit slower this time but no less hungry. He couldn't remember wanting to fuck anyone this much. Some of his past girlfriends had complained that the first thing he wanted to do when he got home from a long stint on the road was take his dog for a walk, not have sex with them. If he didn't do something soon, though, the popcorn on the floor wasn't going to be the only mess in the living room. "We're in my house," he whispered against her lips. "No one else is here. It's just us."

Becky ran a hand along his jaw, running her nails through his beard, and Seth tried to recall her exes. Had any of them had beards? Not that he could remember. He never paid them much mind except out of respect to her. "We're friends," she replied softly, wistfulness adding to the shakiness in her breath. "Good friends. I don't want to screw that up."

"You won't. We won't." Seth leaned in and started kissing her neck, mouth moving down as his hands made their way up her back again. "It's just tonight. I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Just tonight," Becky echoed, sighing as he kissed her collarbone. The muscles in her back seemed to melt under his hands.

Seth peered around her corner at the wall clock; his Netflix and television had sleep timers set to engage past midnight and had already shut themselves down, leaving the single lamp and the streetlights outside as the only illumination. "Well, since it's past midnight," he teased, "maybe not."

"I don't know if I'll make it up the stairs." Becky's laugh was shaky and sheepish, but her eyes were pure hunger as she sat back just enough to pull her crop top over her head.

"Here's fine." And then Seth's mouth was on her breasts and her fingers were scrabbling at his belt and the fly of his jeans, moving things deftly out of the way. He was so engrossed in touching as much of her skin as possible that he didn't even realize she had pushed the crotch of her panties aside until she was angling her hips, and then everything was warm and wet and Seth felt a tingling wave sweep through him. " _Holy shit_ ," he hissed, pushing her panties as far down over her ass as he could. He desperately wanted to flip her onto her back and fuck her senseless, but she had an incredible rhythm going and he didn't want to disrupt anything that was making her moan like she was.

" _Oh_." It was high-pitched, somewhere between a laugh and a shriek, and the widest, most rapturous smile stretched across Becky's face as she changed her positioning ever so slightly. After that, each thrust of her hips made her moan louder and louder, and she only seemed to realize that Seth had already come when he accidentally bit into her shoulder. " _Holy fuck._ "

"Don't stop." He was begging and it didn't bother him in the least. Watching Becky ride him until she came with a lurch that almost toppled her off his lap was better than any fantasy his mind could have conjured up about her. When she slumped against his chest, he kissed her shoulder, smiling as his beard seemed to tickle. If her skin was that sensitive, she was going have beard burn in some very interesting places tomorrow. "You need to get these off," he growled, tugging on her panties, "so we can fuck properly."

Becky made a fist in his shirt and gave him a hard kiss, rubbing herself against him. "You're wearing way more than I am."

"Not for long." Seth moved her to the side so he could stand, and he had his shirt over his head and on the couch before she even had her panties to her knees. He caught her looking at the mess they had made—the spilled popcorn on the floor, the rumpled blanket on the couch, the open bottle of water that had apparently fallen off the table—and shook his head. "Tomorrow. Later. Whenever." When she still seemed bothered by the mess, he gently shoved her back down on the couch and knelt on the floor, spreading her legs. "You take birth control, right?" he asked, pressing each word into her thigh with a kiss. He hadn't restocked his condoms since his break-up because he hadn't seen a reason to.

"Yeah." Becky was already sinking into the couch, one hand clutching at the rumpled blanket and the other twining in his hair as he moved steadily higher. "Not that I'm— _fuck yes please_." Her legs twitched so sharply that Seth had to grip her thighs to keep her from accidentally kicking him.

It didn't take him very long at all to make her climax again, so Seth did his best to pay attention to the little details: the way her eyelids fluttered just before she came, how they tasted together, the deep hitches in her breathing. "Again?" he offered, nuzzling the spot just under her navel as he took off his jeans. He wasn't quite ready yet, but making her scream his name over and over was almost as good as getting off himself.

"Upstairs," Becky managed, struggling to sit up straight.

Seth stood and pulled her to her feet, guiding her up the stairs and toward his room as they kissed. For a moment he lingered at the door to the guest suite. _It's just tonight,_ he thought, though that could equally be a reason for or against. The guest room was a neutral space, one he often didn't enter for weeks at a time. But maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to replace the memory of his ex in his bed with some good casual sex. Just simple and fun, not shadowed with tension or underscored by feelings.

After long, lazy kissing session in the hallway that ended up knocking a piece of art off the wall, Seth carried her into his room and put her on the bed, entering her before she was even fully on the mattress. It felt like a rock concert: loud and electric and all encompassing, narrowing the world to them and the bed. When he went down on her the second time, eager to taste them together again, she stretched out like a sun-basking cat, all long lazy lines and contentment. He imagined he didn't look much different when she returned the favour. Having her mouth around him was almost as good as being inside her, and he'd happily have either.

They fucked twice more before they were both exhausted. Even though she looked like she could barely raise her head, Becky gestured to the door. "I can leave if you want," she offered, "so you can get some sleep."

Seth shook his head. "Stay. We still have a few hours to play," he added quickly.

It didn't take much convincing for Becky to cuddle closer; back in NXT, it was something of a running joke that she could be cold in the middle of a Florida summer. They both dozed off and on, ending up with Seth spooned behind her. He thought she was asleep until he heard a soft chuckle. "Did we fuck sideways?" she asked. "I can't remember."

"Then maybe we should, just in case," Seth replied, moving her hips a bit so he could enter her at a better angle. "To be thorough." When he dipped a hand between her legs, she moved against his fingers eagerly. _My bed hasn't been this busy in months,_ Seth thought as they started fucking again, Becky's moans quickly rising.

The next time he woke up, though, Seth felt a chill and realized Becky wasn't snuggled back against him. His room was flooded with rich sunlight, and when he glanced at his bedside clock, he realized Becky had to be at her meet and greet in a few hours. On his way to the shower, he listened for other signs of life in the house, but nothing stood out. Normally even when his not-then-ex girlfriend was in the house, he could hear a door shut or something. 

After he showered and dressed—there wasn't much popcorn in his hair, to his surprise, but given how often Becky had pulled on it, maybe that stood to reason—Seth hurried downstairs, but came up short when he saw the living room. It was spotless. The fuzzy grey blanket Becky had been using was nowhere to be seen, as was the toppled water bottle; the only evidence of its fall was a slightly damp spot on the carpet. All of the popcorn was gone; Seth even looked under the armchair, but there wasn't a speck left. Going into the kitchen, he expected to see some of the aftermath there: the popcorn bowl by the sink, maybe, or a sodden towel hung over the sink to dry. But it was spotless too. It was almost like Becky had never been there, and he was surprised to feel a twinge at that.

Then she came around the corner and yelped again, though thankfully she had nothing in her hands this time. "Hey," she said easily. "Hope I didn't wake you. I think I got all the popcorn up; the bowl's fine, by the way. The frame on your print has a chip on the bottom left corner." He couldn't tell if her sheepishness came from the damage or how it was wrought. "But it's back on the wall anyway. I put the blanket in the laund—"

Seth took a step closer to her. Would the electricity from last night still be there, now that the sun was out and they were both fully dressed? Judging from the way Becky's eyes widened, there was definitely still a spark, at least. "There was no rush," he said easily, leaning against the counter. "You could have woken me and we could ha—"

"Just for the night, remember? And a bit of the morning," Becky conceded, a slight blush shadowing her cheekbones. "I have to be at the meet and greet by—"

"In a few hours." Seth moved closer again, leaning down to kiss her. She had braided her hair back, so he didn't want to mess it up; he looped an arm around her waist instead, pulling her in close.

For a moment—a long inferno of a moment in which Seth's skinny jeans felt far tighter than usual and Becky's temperature was anything but cold—she kissed him back, but then Becky stepped away with a sigh. "I have to be at the meet and greet soon. I already called for a car."

"You . . . called—?" Seth blinked rapidly as the words filtered through his kiss-addled head. He had been all prepared to tempt Becky into one last quickie, savouring the unveiling he didn't get the night before. "But . . . I mean, I could drive you."

"I know, but. . . ." Becky jammed her hands in her pockets. "The McMahons are paying for the drivers, so we might as well give them something to do, right? And you aren't even supposed to be home yet," she added, "so if people know I was staying at your place and then you're driving me to the signing, they might think the wrong thing. And if things didn't end well with your ex, you don't need her having ammunition like that, so. . . ." She trailed off with a shrug and a half-smile. "Probably for the best."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right." Seth reached for a coffee mug and nearly dropped it when a horn beeped outside. "Probably your ride."

Becky shuffled her feet as she nodded. "Yeah. So . . . thanks." Her blush came back in full force. "For letting me stay here, I mean. It was nice to have the space to move around and all that. And sorry again about . . . about the mess."

"No worries. It's all good." Seth set the mug down and trailed after Becky as she headed to the front door, where her bag and purse were already waiting. How had he missed that? "Hope the meet and greet goes well."

"Thanks." Her smile faltered a bit. "Most of the people will probably be there for Sasha, but we'll see. So . . . uh, bye." Becky rose on tiptoe and gave him a quick hug from the side before grabbing her things and hurrying down to the waiting car.

Seth watched the car pull away before going back to the kitchen, but his appetite had disappeared. He had been looking forward to sex more than breakfast, and now his muscles were protesting. Swearing under his breath, he grabbed his gym bag and headed to his wrestling school. Classes wouldn't start for a few hours yet, so he should be able to sneak in a workout without having to field a bunch of questions from students. It didn't stop his best friend and fellow trainer from asking questions, though. "Hey, bro." Marek gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder as soon as he came out of the changing room. "What's up? I didn't think you were going to be around for another day or so."

"Yeah. Me too. Show got cancelled." Seth was just grateful Becky hadn't marked up his back too much; the scratches that were there could be explained away from wear and tear in the ring. If he'd had to wear a shirt while working out, Marek would have suspected something for sure.

"What's up, man?" Marek set down the empty water bottles he was carrying and looked at Seth more closely. "Bad match?"

Seth shook his head. He'd promised Becky he wouldn't tell anyone, and while he trusted Marek with his life, he was going to keep his word. That didn't mean he couldn't talk about the night in general terms, though. "Had a one-nighter last night," he said, grimacing at the term. When he put it that way, it sounded cheap. "And now I'm not sure how I feel about it."

Marek gave him a sharp look. He had long since settled down and started a family, but he didn't judge Seth's rocky relationship road—or at least not much. "You used protection, right? You don't need some mysterious Baby Rollins showing up in nine months. The McMahons like you, but there's only so much they can keep quiet, you know?"

Technically the answer was no: Becky had said she was on birth control and Seth didn't think she would lie about that, not when the consequences for her were far more immediate than they would be for him. "Yeah. I'm not worried about that." He sat on a weightlifting bench and rolled his neck from side to side. _Just the night._ He was the one who had suggested it. So why was he the one with second thoughts while Becky was the one who had cleaned up so well it was like she had never even been there?

"Well, that's good." Marek sat at the station across from him. "So what is it then? Regret? Feelings in the way?"

"No. . . ." The sex was too good to regret. Maybe he would have if Becky had stormed off and vowed to never talk to him again, but that didn't seem to be the case. Feelings were another matter. He couldn't reveal too much without implicating Becky, but even just the word _feelings_ in the current context made him uneasy. "Maybe. She was someone I knew back from the indies—after you left," he added quickly, hoping Marek wouldn't ask for a name. "We were both lonely, both single, both . . . there. It made sense. Or at least I thought it did. But then this morning, she just left like it was nothing."

Marek raised an eyebrow. "And wasn't it supposed to be nothing? I know I've been out of the game for a while, but I thought that's what _one-nighter_ kinda meant."

Seth rubbed his beard idly, trying to focus. If he couldn't even maintain a conversation, there was no way he should be lifting heavy weights. "It is," he agreed at last, "but . . . I don't know. I guess I thought that switch wouldn't be quite so easy to flip to _Off_ come morning."

" _Caveat emptor_ ," Marek replied as he stood. "Buyer beware. If you ask for one night, that's probably what you get. If you wanted something more, you needed to say so."

_If you wanted something more. . . ._ His friend's rebuke rang through his head as he started his workout, but Seth knew it wasn't that simple. He and Becky had years of friendship behind them; he couldn't just jettison that in hopes of more good sex. As his workout intensified, it was harder and harder to dwell on his thoughts, which was a blessing. If only he could keep himself distracted until the next time he saw Becky.


	2. Chapter 2

_Stupid,_ Becky thought as she bustled around her living room, obsessively tidying for the third time that morning. So many of her decisions in the past two weeks had been utterly stupid even at the time, and in hindsight they looked even more ridiculous. It had all started when she had stayed at Seth's house before the meet and greet. She hadn't been able to sleep, so she had gone downstairs, expecting just to watch some television and crash on his couch. But then he'd gotten home early and somehow they'd kissed—she was pretty sure he instigated it, but even she had to admit she wasn't far from trying it herself—which led to sex. A lot of sex. When she had left the next morning for the meet and greet, she told herself it was a one-time thing, just like they'd said: simply friends experimenting, playing out a what-if fantasy, and nothing more.

But then she realized she had forgotten her plane tickets at his place, so she had to call him. It might not have been that bad if she could remember where they should be, but Seth scoured the guest suite from top to bottom and couldn't find them, so he drove all the way to the meet and greet to take her back to his place. Becky ended up finding her plane tickets in the bathroom in between a stack of towels, of all places. They'd also ended up fucking again, in her room that time—and then once more in the shower—before Seth drove her to the airport. "It still falls under _one-nighter_ ," he had insisted after, looking as conflicted as she had felt. "It's really like a twenty-four hour span, I think."

"That sounds about right." But Becky had still hesitated with her hand on the car door. "But we're still not telling anyone, right?"

"Right."

And they hadn't. They had made it through a whole taping of Monday Night RAW without making anyone the slightest bit suspicious, and as she was heading to the parking lot, she was just about to let out a sigh of relief when she heard footsteps behind her. "Hey, Becks, wait up." She half-turned to see Seth wheeling his luggage behind him. "You're not doing the Titan Toy Launch circuit this weekend, right?" A new line of action figures was coming out, so WWE wanted a bunch of the talent to do appearances and signings around Los Angeles to promote it.

Becky shook her head. "I have two. Stephanie wanted to increase the profile of the women's division. At least they're both on Sunday. Why?"

Seth rolled his neck from side to side. "Don't worry about it. They have me on Saturday and Sunday, and I just thought if you were going to be out of town, then maybe—"

Becky tried not to smile. While he was far from a farmboy, Seth wasn't fond of big cities. Whenever he came to or through Los Angeles, he often liked using her place as a home base because he knew his way around her neighbourhood. "If you want to stay at my place, that's cool. I've got stuff to do, so I won't be in your way." She felt odd saying it—it was _her_ home, after all—but she wanted to be clear that there were no expectations.

Looking at Seth, though, she briefly wondered if he felt differently. It didn't look like he _expected_ anything, but something like hope had definitely dimmed in his eyes. "Yeah, no worries. Lots to do in L.A., right?" Then he nodded awkwardly. "Cool. Thanks. I'll . . . uh, I'll text you later to iron out the details?"

"Sounds good." And that was yet another stupid decision. Her appearances ended up being cancelled because of security issues, as were Seth's Sunday signings. His Saturday appearances were for early in the morning, so Becky took advantage of his absence and tidied up. It wasn't that she had anything to hide—she wasn't home often enough to have anything incriminating sitting out—but maybe if everything looked neat, she would be less inclined to give in to her desires and mess it all up later.

It was easy to say that Seth started the kiss at his place, but she was sure she could have remembered where her plane tickets were if she'd really thought about it. Some part of her wanted to go back to his place, back to the strange bubble of amnesty they had created for the night—and some of the morning. More sex would be nice too; she would be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking of it every night since. When Seth had returned from his appearances and wound his hair up into his trademark bun, Becky had to force herself not to look at his neck; the large vein there was pulsing, practically begging for a hickey. "Is it cool if I work out for a bit?" he asked, pointing down the hall to her modest home gym. Space was a commodity in Los Angeles, so she didn't have anything like the spread he did, but it was enough for a standard workout.

"Yeah, go ahead." Since it was a nice day, Becky decided to get a book and go read out on the balcony. Maybe some sun would calm her libido down a bit. She wasn't sure how much good it did, but the heat and fresh air were always a treasure. She'd have to change out of the breezy sundress if Seth was going to stick around, but for the time being, she would soak up as much warmth as she could.

From locker rooms to hot summer days, Becky was well acquainted with the smell of sweat, and it wasn't one that usually turned her on. Apparently watching Seth towel sweat off his shoulders did, though, because when she turned to see him in the balcony doorway, she dropped her book and made a strangled squeak that she had hoped came from her chair, but Seth's small smirk told her otherwise. "That was quick," she remarked, voice annoyingly breathy. Why did he always have to work out without a shirt?

Seth raised an eyebrow. "It was about half an hour. Maybe forty minutes? I wasn't really timing it."

Becky forced her gaze down to the balcony as she scooped up her book and found her place, about seven pages ahead of where she had started. How had it taken her half an hour to read seven pages? "I should probably do some weights today too," she stammered as she straightened up. "I'll do that while you're having a shower."

"Or you could join me." 

The smooth bass in his voice almost made Becky drop her book again, and she slid her bookmark back in place at the beginning of the chapter—she probably wouldn't remember anything she had managed to read anyway—and shut it, wrapping her fingers around the spine so she couldn't do anything stupid. "Seth, I don't—" When she turned to look at him, she had to raise her head sharply; otherwise her eyes would have been level with his navel, which wouldn't have been safe at all. 

"We're at your house." It was almost the same as what he had said at his place, word for word. "No one else is here. It's just us."

Becky stood abruptly, making her patio chair wobble. There wasn't much room to manoeuvre on the balcony, but at least if she was on her feet, she had more options. Maybe she could edge past him back into the living room. "I know, but—"

"But what?" Seth grabbed her hand and stepped back into the living room, pulling her along. Out of habit, she shut the door behind her, and it made the living room seem strangely small. "We're both single. We both know it's just sex. We both enjoyed it." He said the last with no arrogance, no sense of bragging or conquest. "Our schedules make relationships hard, so maybe something casual like this is the better way to go."

"And as soon as someone on the roster would see us together in a hotel," Becky began, tossing her book onto the nearest chair, "then it'll blow up in both our faces and be a disaster."

Seth stepped closer, letting a hand rest just above her hip. "So we don't hook up at hotels then," he reasoned simply. "Just whenever we're close to your place or mine. It doesn't have to be every week." Some of the intensity in his gaze gave way to insecurity. "Unless you don't wa—"

Becky reached up, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him. What was one more stupid decision amongst all the rest? His logic made sense: whether it was his house or hers, they had the rare luxury of privacy. They wouldn't have to worry about prying fans sneaking photos or even fellow wrestlers stopping by to chat. And as long as they kept it casual, with no strings, why couldn't it work? They were both adults. They were reasonable. They were friends.

She kept telling herself all those things as Seth loosened the ties on her dress straps, sending the flimsy fabric to the floor. She had a bikini on underneath since she was planning to go swimming later, but that didn't last long either, and after Becky could force her fingers to stop tracing Seth's abs, his shorts were on the floor somewhere as well, leaving the two of them stumbling down her hallway. When she tried to direct him towards her master suite, Seth shoved open the door to the guest bathroom. "Too far," he murmured.

Catching a fleeting glimpse of their tangled bodies in the mirror as Seth turned on the shower, Becky almost laughed. Seth's free hand was gripping her ass hard enough to bruise—and she knew from experience that it would, but she didn't mind. _Hope he doesn't mind the scratches,_ she thought in kind as she traced her fingers over the long red lines she had left across his shoulders. The gentle touch made his breath catch. "Sorry. . . ."

"Don't be." Apparently happy with the temperature of the water, Seth pulled her into the shower and hefted her onto his hips before pressing her against the wall. As soon as he was inside her, though, he stopped, face pressed to her neck as the warm water splashed over them both. "I've been thinking about this all week." With his head bowed and his voice low, it carried like a confession.

"Me too." Becky's heart skipped a beat when she felt Seth's eyelashes flutter against her neck. Locking her legs around his waist, she forced her hips to be still; she could tell from the strain in his shoulders that Seth needed to be in control at the moment and she was more than happy to let him be.

When Seth raised his face to hers, the cascading water did nothing to hide the raw need in his eyes. "So your place, my place. . . ?"

Becky nodded. "Details later?" They needed to start fucking in earnest soon so she didn't explode.

In that, at least, Seth was happy to oblige, thrusting hard enough that the shower caddy fell off its hooks and crashed into the tub. He kicked it behind him as far as he could before adjusting his grip on her ass. "This was all I could think about in the showers at the arena," he admitted.

"Hope you were alone in there, then" Becky teased, digging her nails into his shoulders. She had to be careful not to scratch him too deeply, but between his cock and the constant stream of water, she was so close to coming that she could taste it. "Otherwise that would be awkward."

Seth's laugh made her shiver, and even that small movement was almost enough to tip her over the edge. He slowed down, though, keeping her just at the edge until he was ready too. When she climaxed, her elbow knocked against the faucet, turning the water icy. " _Fuck._ " Still holding her, Seth lurched back and wrenched the tap all the way off. The sudden silence of the shower made their panting and the erratic dripping of water off their bodies seem even louder. "I should have kept you in that dress," he murmured, gaze sliding down to her breasts.

"If I get to ride you," Becky countered, shivering as Seth stepped out of the shower and let her slide to her feet,"I'll go get it right now."

His gaze was dark enough to make her want to top him right there on the bathroom floor. "Deal. My room or yours?"

The modified cliche should have made her laugh, but all Becky could think about was being on top of him again. "You're the guest," she said with a smirk. "You pick." Dripping the whole way, Becky went back to the living room and, after making sure she couldn't been seen through any of her windows, retrieved her dress and bikini as well as Seth's workout shorts. The dress clung to her as soon as she tried to put it on, but she didn't imagine Seth would let it stay on for long anyway. 

As she headed back down the hallway, she didn't see any lights on, so she poked her head into the guest room first. Seth was sitting on the edge of the bed, striped in sunlight and shadows from the window blinds. "Nice dress," he murmured, his gaze drifting up and down her body as she dropped her bikini and his shorts to the floor.

"Remember that when you're taking it off," Becky replied as she hiked up the skirt and straddled his lap. Seth was already kissing her neck before she had made herself comfortable, and between his wet skin and hers, the thin dress was sodden and rumpled in seconds. She waited until he was hard again to tug on the ties, but it was clinging to her too tightly to fall of its own accord. "You'll have to work for it this time," she chuckled as she eased down on him.

"Gladly." Seth seemed to relish peeling down the damp fabric, exposing her again inch by inch until the dress clumped together around her rocking hips. His hands felt absurdly huge, as if they were covering her entire back, and Becky used the surety of his grip to her advantage, leveraging herself at an angle that made them both gasp. " _Fuck._ Do that again."

Becky did, over and over and over until she was crying out, eyes and hands all clenched shut as she came. Before he could say a word, she climbed off him and knelt in front of him, taking him as deep in her mouth as she could. She only half-heard his moans when he came because his hands were gripping her head just behind her ears, fingers digging into her already tangled hair. Then he flopped back on the bed, legs dangling over the side, and Becky leaned against the mattress for a moment, licking her lips clean as she caught her breath. "God, I wish we could fuck in the pool." She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but that didn't make it any less true. She had a bathtub, but it wasn't the same as being surrounded by water and having room to move.

"We could wake up early and go to a beach." Seth's voice sounded strangely disembodied, and Becky used his knee to make her way to her feet and sprawl on the bed beside him. When she tried to shimmy out of the dress, though, he stopped her. "Leave it on," he said, half demand and half plea. "For the next round."

"Haven't you had enough of a workout for today?" Becky teased, raising herself up on her elbows and kissing some of the marks she had left on his shoulder. 

Seth raised a lazy hand and brushed its knuckles down Becky's arm. "Gotta get my fix, right? If we're only hooking up here and at my place, it could be a while."

The sated softness in his eyes was almost enough to make her reconsider the terms. There had to be limits, though. If they were hooking up in arenas and hotels and everywhere in between, they would be discovered far too easily. Besides, if they were together all the time, what made it _friends with benefits_ and not a relationship? Becky flopped down on the bed so she could shift her gaze without it being super obvious. It couldn't be a relationship because they were friends, and there was no healthy way to transition from just friends to romantic partners if you started building that bridge with sex. _And besides, Seth's not interested in a relationship._ It stung more than Becky liked to admit; she hated that it stung at all. "We do a California leg often enough," she replied, hoping she hadn't taken too long for it to sound natural. "It's Davenport that's the problem."

Seth reached over and tickled her ribs half-heartedly. "Then we'll just have to use your place more."

"Oh really?" Becky rolled over to look at him and was surprised to find his gaze fixed on her face, not her breasts. "Then you're helping with laundry next time." Now that she was drying off, she could tell how damp the bed cover had gotten. _And the bathroom's probably a mess._ At least Seth had shut off the shower. 

As if reading her mind, Seth grinned. "And the water bills?"

"Those too." Becky reached down to shove the dress off again, and once again Seth stopped her. "It's just in the way," she protested. 

"Once more. Please?" Seth's grin turned from winsome to wicked in a heartbeat. "Then you can stay naked for the rest of the day and I won't complain a bit."

"I bet you won't." But Becky played along, letting Seth coax her into a kneeling position and pull the dress, now stiffening up as it dried, back up her body. She had read once that being dressed by the right person could be just as erotic as being undressed, and as Seth's hands smoothed the dress into place, she understood. It wasn't just cloth being wrapped around her; it was the heat of his fingers, the pressure and the promise of more caresses to come. 

Then he settled in behind her, chest blazingly warm against her back, and the thin fabric of the dress suddenly seemed restrictive. "Keep in on," he whispered against her neck as he slid a hand over her thigh and under the dress. "The whole time." He raised the back of the dress just enough to enter her, and then he wrapped his other arm around her chest, pinching her nipple through the fabric.

Seth's pace was infuriatingly slow, but there was nothing gentle about it. Everything from the thrusts to his kisses to his fingers moving against her was hard and deep, and every time Becky thought she was about to come he went slower still, dancing her back from the edge just enough. "Please. Please? Fuck, Seth, please let me come—"

"Let me take the dress home so you can wear it at my house," Seth countered, "and I'll make you come in every room in this place."

Becky lolled her head to the side and looked up at him. "I get the better deal."

"You don't know what I have planned for you and that dress yet," Seth retorted, hand tightening on her breast until she moaned. "Deal?"

" _Yes_." She had barely finished the word before Seth quickened his pace, making her shriek as all her senses seemed to collide at once. Becky had lost count after the first two orgasms, but she was sure she had at least four before Seth finally pulled the dress over her head and tossed it onto his luggage. Idly she wondered what anyone who found a single dress in his baggage would think. A bra or panties could be an error or a trophy, but a dress—even one as flimsy as this—was impossible not to notice; its presence would have to be deliberate.

"So let's see." Seth pulled her down onto the bed beside him and brought one of her limp hands to his mouth, biting down lightly on her thumb. "Guest bathroom." Then he moved on to her index finger. "My room." He nuzzled the three remaining fingers on her hand. "Your room. The kitchen. The living room." He then switched hands and kept counting. "I have a busy day ahead. Good thing our Sunday appearances are cancelled."

Becky let her eyes drift shut. "It doesn't all have to be in one day," she pointed out. "It would give you something to look forward to for next time." It was dangerous, she knew, thinking of _next time_ as a given, but she knew it was true. She could no more give this up than she could start a morning without coffee. 

But Seth kissed her belly softly and she felt him shake his head. "I appreciate a challenge," he declared. "So any time you're ready. . . ."

"We should maybe close the curtains in the living room before the neighbours get a free show," Becky said with a chuckle, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Seth pulling on his shorts and headed into the hallway. _Holy shit, he's serious,_ she marvelled, struggling to sit up. Not that she would argue with a day of good sex, but if they kept this pace up, she might need all of Sunday just to recover in time for Monday Night RAW.

When Seth returned, he had his hair pulled back in a bun and was wearing nothing but his wicked smile again; the shorts, Becky imagined, had been abandoned as soon as all the windows were covered. "So where do you want to start?" he asked. "Your room's closest, but the kitchen has the island. . . ."

"I don't want some rush job," she declared as she scooted to the edge of the bed. She didn't quite trust her balance yet; those last few orgasms had left her feeling turned inside out, and she had a sudden pang of sympathy for her sundress, taken on and off, pushed up and down, tugged and thrown.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "I haven't heard any complaints out of you so far," he remarked, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. "Come on. Give me the tour, and you can decide on the way."

"You've already had the tour." Seth probably knew his way around the place almost as well as she did, but it felt different now, walking around naked and sizing up rooms not for their decor or comfort but their sexual options. Bathrooms and bedrooms were givens, as was the living room; Becky would have to make sure to cover up all her tech in her small office to make sure they didn't inadvertently broadcast anything. _Unplug it all,_ she thought as they walked past. _It'll be easier._ "This is more like _Clue_ : in the kitchen with your fingers, or in the office with your tongue, or—"

"If you don't decide soon," Seth whispered, leaning over her shoulder, "I'll decide for you."

Becky darted around him and dashed towards the living room. It seemed like a good enough place to start. "I'll save my bedroom until the last," she replied, "to be sporting and save your knees. You'll probably be tired by then."

"That's what you think." Seth caught up to her easily, grabbing her from behind and spinning her in a circle before depositing her on her favourite reading chair, a large, circular piece she had always secretly thought would be a fun spot to fuck on. "If you don't want any of the upholstery getting wet," he added, "better say so now."

"Mm. Good point. The couch?" She barely made it to her feet before Seth grabbed both her hands and pulled her over. As she stretched out on the sofa and Seth started kissing his way up her thigh, she cast a wistful glance at the circular chair. She could so easily picture Seth lounging there, bathed in the glow of the sunset as she rode him, a slight breeze from the balcony keeping them cool enough to be comfortable. _I'll have to find a cover for it,_ she thought. Then Seth moved up higher, and she stopped thinking much at all.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm not sure I understand, sir." The airline representative's voice was somehow both nasal and tinny, and Seth was fairly certain he was going to throw his phone against the wall soon, but that would just add to his list of problems.

"I want to change my flight," he repeated for what felt like the tenth time. It probably was. Between being on hold, explaining his issue to three different people, and being bounced to several different departments, it seemed like he had been having the same conversation for an hour. His match had been first and his promos for the night were done, so he didn't have to worry about being late for a segment, but he did want to track Becky down before she left.

"I understand that, sir. But from what I can tell," the agent continued, "you already have the most optimized flight plan available. Everything else has more connections and layovers."

Seth pinched the bridge of his nose and hissed out a breath. "And I understand _that_. But I want to connect in Los Angeles. What are my options?" Before the agent could speak again, Seth took a folded piece of paper from his jeans pocket and squinted to read the numbers there. "I'd prefer Flight 927 if possible." Then he read off the section Becky was sitting in, leaving out the seat number; if he gave too much information, the agent might think he was a stalker or something. "I have friends in that section and would like to be seated near them if at all possible." When he could finally get off the phone, he was going to swear a blue streak. Ever since the last California leg, he and Becky had only hooked up a couple times and it was making him antsy. 

"Let me look into that for you, sir. One moment, please." Thankfully the agent didn't transfer him to the horrible canned music; even the rapid click-clacking of the keyboard was better than listening to perfectly good songs from the 1970s being butchered. "Are you sure that's the flight you want, sir? If you're trying to get back to Davenport, there wouldn't be a flight from Los Angeles until next afternoon at the earliest. Your current flight truly is the best opt—"

"Is there space on 927?" Seth interjected. He didn't want to sit in economy, but if there was anything up further, he'd take it just to be finished with the agonizing back and forth.

"I—well, yes, sir." For the first time in the conversation, the agent's professional demeanour was starting to waver. "And in your preferred section, but I really should reinforce that your current fli—"

_Thank fuck_. He was finally getting somewhere. "Good. Thank you. Which seats are available?"

As the agent listed off some numbers, Seth was grateful that he had spent so much of his WWE career on planes: it gave him a decent idea of the general layout and seating plans. If he was right, Becky had a window seat. When the agent read off one that sounded like it would be across the aisle, he almost jumped on that one, but then she read off another one. "Is that an aisle seat?" he asked. The seat number was one off Becky's.

"Yes, sir. There are no window seats left on that flight, I'm afraid." The agent sounded incredibly relieved and Seth had no doubt she would be just as glad as he was when the call was completed.

"That one, please, and then the afternoon flight you mentioned. The payment information is the same." At that point, he didn't care about penalty fees or paying more; he just wanted to be done. "The ticket will be at the desk?"

"Yes, sir." The agent gamely read off the total, which Seth barely acknowledged. "Is there anything else I can help you with today, sir?"

"No, that's everything. Thank you." Disconnecteng before the agent could launch into the _Thank you for choosing us_ spiel, Seth headed to the locker room to grab his bag. Halfway there, he realized he would need to arrange a rental car in Los Angeles as well, but he shrugged that off. The important thing was that he changed the flight. Now he just needed to get his bag and find Becky.

Except he didn't. He had just stepped out of the men's locker room when she nearly ran into him in her rush to get to the exit. "Oh, hey. Sorry, can't talk. I need to call for a ride to the airport. My flight leaves in an hour and—"

"Forty minutes. I know." Seth felt the slightest pang of doubt. Was he going to look desperate now? Demanding? He would never force her to do anything and he hoped she knew that; if she didn't want him at her place, he would find a hotel and fly out the next day as scheduled. "You told me when your flight was when we had coffee."

Becky nodded slowly, then noticed the death grip he had on his phone. "You didn't."

He shrugged awkwardly. "Kinda did already? If you've got plans or . . . company, I can find a hotel. It's no big deal."

"I don't, Seth, but. . . ." Becky glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before starting to walk again, this time to where the wrestlers parked. "You should have said something sooner. I . . . I thought we were casual. No strings, remember?"

"We are," Seth agreed, pointing to his rental vehicle when he spotted it. "But it's been a while and. . . ." He stopped himself, expecting Becky to roll her eyes or make some smart-ass remark about guys always wanting sex. When he glanced over at her, though, he realized she looked almost as sheepish as he felt. "If you've wanted to hook up," he said, keeping his voice low, "why didn't you say something?"

Becky shot him a sharp look. "Because we _agreed!_ It was casual. No strings. Only at your place or mine. That means it's not going to be a regular thing, so we have to deal with that."

Seth hummed thoughtfully, using the remote control to open the SUV's trunk. "And how have you been _dealing_ with it?" he asked, mouth twitching in a smirk.

"I'm not fucking you on the plane," Becky said flatly as she shoved her bag into the back. "Or in the SUV. You have to wait until we get to my place."

"That's okay. Just means you have to wait too." Seth almost wished he hadn't said anything and left it a surprise, just to see her face on the plane when he took the seat beside hers. But this way he had a chance to gauge his welcome and even if she was a bit miffed now, at least he knew that she felt much the same.

As soon as they were in traffic, Becky adjusted the temperature. "I can't believe you changed your ticket." Her voice was exasperated, but he could hear a hint of wonder in there too. It wasn't exactly a romantic gesture, but he wouldn't have done it for a casual fling either. "How long are you in L.A.?"

"My connecting flight is in the early afternoon. Means I'll have time for coffee tomorrow, if you're up to it." He was trying to keep the sexual innuendo to a minimum, but it was difficult. Even just being alone in the SUV with her was taking the edge off. "My treat."

"I don't have breakfast fixings at my place. I'm warning you right now." Becky's huff was quickly eclipsed by a chuckle, however, and she shut her eyes as she leaned against the window. "Maybe I should make you take me grocery shopping before you leave tomorrow."

"If I can get a rental at the airport," Seth replied, "not a problem." It was a short drive to the airport and they kept the conversation light for most of it, talking about the upcoming pay-per-view and some of the newer NXT standouts. 

When they parked at the airport, Becky laughed suddenly, taking him by surprise. "I can't believe you're doing all this just to get laid." There was a hard edge to her voice, but Seth caught a flash of insecurity in her eyes as she hopped out of the SUV and took her bag out of the back. She waited until he had turned the keys in at the rental kiosk to continue. "All this," she repeated, "when all you had to do was go to your cafe. Half your baristas would jump at the chance to fuck you."

It was meant to be cutting, but it was Becky who winced at the words, not Seth. He just leaned close to ear and whispered, "But I don't want any of them." He straightened up as they reached the check-in line, clearing his throat. "Besides, it would be unprofessional."

Becky stayed uncharacteristically quiet as they finished checking in and went through security, and Seth wasn't sure if she was embarrassed or upset. When it came time for them to board, he followed her on, flipping up the arm rest between them. "What are you doing?" she asked. 

"If you want to nap," he explained as he sat, "I'd like to think my shoulder is more comfortable than the plane window. Definitely cleaner, anyway."

"You don't have to—" Before Becky could continue, the regular flight routines began: safety belt checks, the attendants' safety routine that Becky must have known by heart, announcements from the pilot. "I'm sorry," she said softly, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I shouldn't have said that about the baristas." Mindful that there were other people around, she didn't elaborate. "I didn't mean it."

"I know. Don't worry about it." Then Seth chuckled. "Seriously. Nap if you want to. Just let me get my tablet first so I can catch up on my show."

"Thank you." While he was reaching down to his bag, Becky darted in and brushed a quick kiss across his cheek. Then she waited until he was settled in to cuddle up against his arm. He wasn't sure if she actually slept, but her breathing went deep enough that he waved away the attendant who came with the drink cart. Becky was working her ass off to elevate the women's division and needed every scrap of sleep she could get. As if her old attendant instincts kicked in, Becky raised her head mere seconds before the safety belt alarm dinged, notifying passengers of the upcoming descent. "Sorry. Your arm's probably gone numb now."

Seth stretched it out, rotating his shoulder and then his wrist. "Nah. All good. You needed the rest." When she arched an eyebrow, he scoffed. "Not what I meant."

"I know." After they disembarked and got their bags, Seth followed Becky's lead; Los Angeles was her turf, not his. She easily found one of the car rental kiosks that was open all day long and Seth ended up with an SUV almost identical the one he had left behind in Seattle. "Thanks for letting me nap."

"No problem." Seth knew the way from the airport to Becky's well enough, but he still checked the SUV's GPS to make sure there weren't any detours he needed to watch out for. "And you know we don't have to . . . do anything. I can just drop you off if you want and I'll go find a hotel. . . ."

When Becky kissed his cheek this time, her lips lingered by his ear. "You're spending the night. Anything beyond that is negotiable."

That made Seth grin. "How negotiable?"

Becky shrugged. "Well, since you let me borrow your arm as a pillow, I suppose I could let you top."

Part of Seth felt relieved that they were back on the familiar ground of teasing, but there seemed to be a rift between them now. He was sure there was something more to Becky's comment about the baristas, no matter how much she tried to apologize for it, but he didn't know how to bring it up without making her go quiet again. _I don't want it to be either sex or friendship,_ he thought petulantly as he parked in front of her place. _I want both._ But how was that any different than a relationship? It was too late to ponder that, but maybe not for other things. "Too bad that dress is at my house," he remarked. 

"You mean the tatters of the dress that you _tore_?" There was only a hint of accusation in Becky's tone as she unlocked her front door and disabled the alarm before turning on the lights. She might have been sad about the dress, but she had enjoyed the circumstances surrounding its demise as much as Seth did. He had made sure of it.

"I'll get you another one." He started walking to the guest suite, but found himself watching as Becky went through the rooms, checking on things here and there to make sure everything was okay. She wasn't the type of person he would have called a homebody, but it was clear she loved her space and took care of it. "Did you want to get groceries tonight?" The idea of grocery shopping so late was alien to him, but apparently in big cities it was more commonplace.

"No, tomorrow's good." Becky disappeared into her room for a moment to drop off her bag, and Seth heard her take a deep breath before stepping back into the hall. "We're not always going to be close to California or the Midwest. We're not always going to be able to do this. Someone's going to notice sooner or later," she said, walking back to where he stood in the living room, his bag still at his feet. "So maybe we need to change the terms."

"Hotels are too risky," Seth agreed, watching her approach. It was rare to see her in jeans—she was normally in leggings when she travelled—and he couldn't help but notice that she kept rubbing her palms against her thighs. _She's nervous,_ he marvelled. _She's nervous because of ME._ The thought was both humbling and worrying; it was flattering that he affected her so deeply, but he didn't want to add to her stress when she already had so much going on. "I get that. Eventually someone would see something."

"Yeah." Becky stopped just in front of him, threading her fingers through his belt loops. She wouldn't quite meet his gaze, but her breath was warm on his chest. "Which leaves the arenas." Her fingers twitched as she said it.

"Tempting," Seth conceded, pulling her in closer. "But we would have the same concerns as with the hotel: someone would eventually see us." It wouldn't be a fan, though, which meant no blurry pictures on social media. If it was another wrestler or WWE employee, the worries would be more vague—rumours or leaks to the dirt sheets—but since their friendship was well established, they might be able to brush those off. _Might_. "There's always an empty room somewhere. We could try on Monday and see how it goes."

"Just as an option for the times when we're not by your place or mine," Becky added quickly. "Not as a regular or anything."

Seth wrapped his arms around her waist and tried not to smile as she instinctively rose on tiptoe to lessen the height gap. "Just an option," he agreed. "And we'd have to be quick. You never know when segments are going to get shuffled around." His mind ran through scenarios of them getting caught backstage: Becky sucking him off when the door suddenly opened or him pressing Becky against the wall only to realize the room was occupied. There was a flare of embarrassment, sure, but also a weird flush of pride. Part of his ego wanted other people to know that he had been the one to make Becky finally hook up with another wrestler.

"Good thing I'm not wearing the singlets anymore," she quipped. Then she kissed him lightly. "So that's Monday sorted. Tomorrow is coffee and groceries. That leaves tonight."

"I seem to remember," Seth drawled, shuffling them both towards the hallway, "you saying I could top you."

Becky gave the arm she had used as a pillow a gentle squeeze. "I don't know. Your arm seems fine. And if it's _not_ ," she added with a wicked grin, "then you really shouldn't be on top, should you? How would you explain an arm injury on Monday? _Oh, sorry, Paul, I was having sex and my arm gave out, so I can't fight Drew tonight._?"

"Someone's giving herself a lot of credit," Seth remarked, moving his hands down to her ass.

She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Prove me wrong."

He spent the next few hours testing her claim, starting by fucking her up against the column in the kitchen with them both still mostly dressed. After they shed some clothes, he bent her over the circular chair she liked so much before they were finally naked and stumbling to her room. He needed a rest first—but was also quick to point out she had slept on the plane, while he hadn't—before they completed almost another full circuit of her home. She even let him be in control most of the time, and when she gave him a blowjob in the shower before they went to sleep—separately, which bothered Seth more than he cared to admit—she held his gaze the entire time. Credit where it was due: she was damn good, and he was damn glad to be on the receiving end.

They both normally aimed for some distance in the mornings, just to reinforce their boundaries, but when Seth woke to the aroma of coffee, he was surprised to see her walking back to the door, wearing an old tank top instead of pyjamas. "Morning," he croaked, rolling onto his side. 

"Don't drink it yet," Becky advised. "It's still hot. And you still owe me a proper coffee and grocery shopping." There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice when she added, "You'll probably have to leave for the airport in about four hours."

"Four hours, huh?" Seth sat back against the headboard. "That's time for coffee, grocery shopping, and breakfast." With a sleepy grin, he added, "And I suppose I could let you top."

"Oh really?" Becky didn't need much more of an invitation, though, and Seth quickly learned she didn't have anything on under the tank top when she shoved the bed sheets aside and straddled him. "I'll be quick," she teased as she pulled her tank top over her head, "so your coffee doesn't get cold."

Seth kept his eyes shut for a few moments, letting himself enjoy her mouth on his neck and her hands on his chest. _Sex and coffee; is there a better way to wake up?_ "I could get used to this," he whispered, chancing the words out loud. Between Becky's moans and the squeaking of the bed frame, there was a possibility she wouldn't hear; the words were more for himself anyway, a confession and a condemnation all in one.

Just when he thought he had gotten away with it, Becky slid a hand over his mouth. "Don't," she whispered against his cheek before easing off him and kneeling between his legs to finish him off with a blowjob. "If you want more than toast for breakfast," she said as she crawled off the bed, grabbing her tank top as an afterthought, "you'll have to wait until we're out."

"Becky, wait. . . ." By the time Seth could coordinate his legs with his thoughts, however, Becky had already left and a few moments later he heard a shower start up. _Fucking idiot._ His last relationship had ended because his girlfriend felt he didn't care enough. Now he might be screwing up what he had with Becky by caring too much. There had to be a happy medium somewhere.

Seth waited until he heard Becky's shower shut off to get out of bed and head to the guest bathroom. He assumed she might have used the shower head to get off, but by then he was well acquainted with her expression after a good orgasm, and the look on her face as she sipped her coffee wasn't it. "We should probably head out to the market soon, if you're still willing to go," she said, voice almost flat. "It's busy on the weekends."

Setting his coffee cup by the sink, Seth turned to face her. '"Becky, let me—"

"I'll go get my reusable bags. Back in a minute." Becky hopped off her stool and hurried down the hall.

Seth tried to bring up his lapse a few times, but Becky kept ignoring his attempts or redirecting them, so he gave up and focussed on the good things instead. It was a beautiful day, the clear skies a perfect backdrop for the bright sun. The farmers' market was bustling, which initially made him uneasy, but people either didn't recognize them or they just didn't care; Seth later spotted a well-known action movie actor and realized that the locals were probably just so used to seeing celebrities that it didn't impress them anymore. Once Becky's bags were full, they returned to the rental SUV. "Do I still get to treat you to coffee at least?" Seth hazarded. He hadn't wanted to upset her further, so he'd mostly kept quiet in the market, only commenting on fruits he didn't recognize.

"You don't have to," Becky began, voice strained. Then she forced her shoulders to relax as she added, "But if you want to, Zomberry is only a few blocks away and they have great stuff."

"Sounds good." Seth followed her minimal directions and found a spot to park after a few minutes. The atmosphere in the cafe somehow combined the 90s neon trend with film noir in a strangely pleasing way, and he was grateful to note a large food menu. Between the rush to change flights last night, all the sex, and then trying to navigate the minefield of his arrangement with Becky, he needed some fuel.

Becky normally picked a spot near the window so she could people watch, but she pointed to a spot closer to the back. "I've never had problems in here," she explained, "but it'll be quieter."

Before Seth could think of a safe conversation topic, a college-age woman approached and he readied himself to field a request for a picture or autograph. "Hi. Sorry to bother you. My name is Dolores, and I work for one of the local indie papers." To his surprise, she showed them a lanyard with proper press credentials. "I'm doing a feature on coffee culture and how it brings people together, and Zomberry has been kind enough to let me interview their customers. Do you have time to talk with me this morning?"

Seth started to decline, but Becky nodded. "Not much, but we'll see if we can help."

"Great. Thanks so much." Then Dolores smiled. "You can't be local with that accent."

That at least brought a grin to Becky's face. "No. But L.A.'s like my second home."

"I feel you there. I grew up in a small town, but after going to university out here, I could never go back." Readying her tablet, Dolores flipped through a few screens. "In particular, I'm focussing on couples. You know, how one will like coffee and the other likes tea, or how so many first dates happen in cafes, or—"

"Oh, sorry." Becky gave her a wistful smile that Seth wanted to read far too much into. "We're not a couple. We're just friends."

Dolores's eyebrows shot up. "Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. You two just look so . . . you know, harmonious together." Laughing at her mistake, she flipped to a different screen. "Sorry again. I hope you have a wonderful day."

"You too." Becky bit at her bottom lip as Dolores moved on to the next table that had two people, and Seth couldn't help but feel that he and Becky were on the same page, but whenever one of them tried to skip ahead, the other kept flipping back, leaving their story at a standstill.


	4. Chapter 4

If they had been caught in one of the arenas, maybe she wouldn't have even been tempted, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy to sneak away for twenty minutes if you timed it right. At least it was at the television tapings. House shows were smaller, but local workers were more likely to try asking for pictures and autographs, while pay-per-views were more of a spectacle, filled with celebrity attendees and Make-A-Wish recipients. At regular RAW tapings, though, Becky and Seth had been able to sneak off almost every Monday for two months, finding some administrative office or closet that was out of the way. Then Seth would set the timer on his phone for fifteen minutes, they would adjust their ring gear as little as possible, and the fucking commenced. At the start, they played it safe, sticking to oral so at least one of them was fully dressed and could run interference if necessary, but as the weeks went on and no one seemed the wiser, they grew bolder—more creative, more daring, more prepared.

_Tomorrow's Monday,_ Becky told herself as she looked down at her phone. _You can fuck him tomorrow._ It didn't stop her thumb from hovering over the screen, though. Arena sex was good for a quick fix and she wasn't about to give it up, but it was nice to have privacy and a bed, to have a bathroom nearby and to be able to be naked rather than just frantically shoving clothes out of the way just enough. _Oh, look,_ her inner voice supplied. _Privacy? Check. A bed? Check. Bathroom? Check._ Of course her hotel room had all those amenities, but they had agreed to limit their hook-ups to their houses and, in a pinch, at the arenas.

Except they were finding themselves at each other's homes when there was no event in sight, and the arenas were becoming a regular, not a substitute. Their rules were falling faster than their inhibitions.

_We're going to get caught,_ Becky thought, tossing her phone from hand to hand. Realistically, someone probably knew already. Backstage was like a small town; some tech had likely seen them sneak off perfectly put together but return somewhat rumpled. She and Seth did their best not to hang out too often backstage—but also not too little, just in case it made something think their friendship was in jeopardy—but she knew she had slipped on occasion, maybe looking at him a little too long or standing just that tiny bit too close.

A short beep from her phone made her jump, and she saw that Charlotte had texted her. It was only an emoji of a champagne glass, so she probably wanted to go out for drinks to celebrate her title win. The pay-per-view card had been stacked, but Charlotte's match against Bayley was one of the standouts. Maybe hanging out with friends who _wouldn't_ hint at having sex was what Becky needed, but what she _wanted_ was to call Seth. After sending a reply to Charlotte with a vague but gentle refusal and a quick congratulations—and a crown emoji, of course, fit for a queen—Becky paced to her window and looked out. At night, with the dizzying array of lights and skyscrapers, most American cities looked the same to her. "Just wait until tomorrow," she told herself, breath misting over the window. They were going to be in the same city, so there wouldn't even be any travel.

_But he's just down the hall. . . ._ She knew there weren't many wrestlers on this wing of the floor, and when Seth told her his room number, part of her wondered if he had purposefully tried to get a room close to hers. _Maybe it was an invitation,_ she thought. Before she could stop herself, she sent him a text with only his room number, an emoji of an open door, and a question mark. Then she went to her own door and opened it just enough to poke her head out. If she followed the number sequence properly, his room should be to her right.

Less than a minute later, a door opened down to her right and Seth stepped out, phone in hand. Their rooms were far enough apart that Becky wouldn't quite say their gazes met and held, but he was all she could see. When her phone beeped—she had purposefully chosen a short, generic tone for his texts so no one would think much of her getting multiple alerts—she glanced down to see two emojis in reply: a closed door and a bed. _Subtle_ , she thought. Since there was no handy symbol for 'that's not in the rules', she had to think about how to reply. When she glanced up from her phone, though, Seth was already halfway to her room. "Seth, I—"

Seth said nothing. He merely pointed at the door as he approached and when Becky still didn't move, he nudged both her and the door into the room. Once he shut the door behind them, he took her face in both hands and kissed her. "Don't say this is against the rules," he pleaded, fingers threading through her hair. "We made the stupid rules. We can make new ones."

"They were stupid because _we're_ stupid." She was saying it between kisses, though, letting Seth manoeuvre her towards the bed. "All of this is stupid and we're going to get caught and—"

"Do you want to stop?" Seth's lips brushed against her cheek with every word as he pressed her down against the mattress. "Do you want to end it?"

The only thing Becky wanted to stop was the hiding, the constant worry of being discovered. She had already seen a few blurry fan pictures of her and Seth together at cafes or markets. There was nothing explicit or obvious—they could just be friends out shopping—but if anyone was so inclined, it wouldn't take much to weave a timeline together. "No. Of course not."

"Then why are we still dressed?" Seth moved his hands to her waist and started pushing her leggings down, hooking his thumbs in the sides of her panties and dragging them down too.

"What . . . what if someone goes to your door and you're not there?" Becky lifted her hips reflexively as Seth's hands drifted over them. She tried to put her phone on the side table, but she couldn't quite reach, so she left it by the pillow.

"Their loss." Pulling her leggings and panties over her feet, Seth tossed them to the floor, teasing her thighs apart as her phone started to ring. "Who is it?"

Becky didn't need to look; she recognized the ring tone. "Charlotte. She'd asked me out for drinks and I said no, so—"

"Better answer your wife before she comes to the door," Seth advised as he kissed his way up her thigh.

Accepting the call with one hand, Becky pressed the other lightly against Seth's head. He was getting to dangerous territory and she knew what he was going to try, and part of her didn't even want to stop him. It was all part of the game, either trying to be quiet or go unnoticed; they were getting away with so much so often that it almost felt like— "Hey, Char," Becky said as she answered, forcing herself to cut off that train of thought. Sex did not equal a relationship. She knew that. It wasn't what Seth wanted and it wasn't what she signed up for, and the fact that she put herself in a different category than Seth said more than she wanted to admit. "What's up?"

"Come drink with me, Bex!" Charlotte wheedled. "It's not celebrating if my bestie's not here. Are you sick or something?"

Seth was pushing her legs further apart how, tracing her hip with his tongue. Becky shivered whenever his still-damp hair brushed across her skin. "I don't really feel like going out, Char. I don't think I'd be good company tonight." Seth murmured something quiet and juvenile about _company_ against her skin, making her squirm beneath him. 

"Why not?" Charlotte's tone was uneven enough to suggest she'd had a few drinks already. "Aren't you happy for me?"

"Of course I am, but—" Becky bit down hard on her bottom lip when Seth started teasing her clit with his tongue, gripping her thighs hard enough to leave marks. "I'm in bed and I'm comfy and I don't feel like getting dressed—"

She felt more than heard Seth murmur _Good_ against her, and Becky brought her free hand up to her mouth, pressing her fist to her lips whenever she wanted to moan. Her hips were rising shamelessly to meet his mouth and she just wanted to toss the phone away and focus what Seth was doing, but Charlotte kept complaining that none of the other women in the division were happy for her and no one thought she deserved all her titles. "Why don't the girls like me, Bex? Everybody loves you. The girls do and Roman and Kevin and Sami are like your brothers and Seth is like your work husband. . . ."

The mention of Seth made Becky's breath catch, and she was grateful for the tiny reprieve when Seth sat back to peel off his shirt. But then he was back between her legs again, kissing and licking and making her feel like that window pane misted over with heat and breath. "Everyone likes you, Char. You're just drunk. Get Sasha or Bayley to bring you back to the hotel." She stuck the heel of her thumb in her mouth to bite down on as a long trill of pleasure pulsed through her. She needed to get off the phone and quick before she started to whimper.

"But I want to _party!_ " Charlotte's whine took on a plaintive edge just as Seth slid a hand up Becky's shirt and pinched her nipple. "Come party with me! It'll be fun!"

If Seth hadn't been there, Becky probably still wouldn't have gone, or if she did it would have only been to save Charlotte from making a fool out of herself. "Char, you know I love you—" Part of a moan broke through when Seth dug his fingers into her hips, and Becky bucked beneath him. "We'll party later, okay? I . . . need to go. Room service is coming." Then she disconnected, the phone tumbling from her hand as she let out all the moans she had been trying to suppress. 

Seth waited until she climaxed, loud and jagged, to pull back enough to speak. " _Room service?_ Is that how you have me listed in your contacts?" He pretended to reach for her phone, but Becky closed her fingers around it just in time.

"Just wait until I catch you on the phone with Roman," Becky warned, sinking down into the pillows and making a half-hearted grab for his waistband. "Why are these still on?"

"Because I was trying not to make noise. Remember the rules?" he added with a smirk as he slid off the bed and took off the rest of his clothes. 

"Keep it up," Becky retorted, pulling off her shirt and throwing it at him, "and I'll give you a blowjob when you're on the phone with _Hunter_." Seth was back on the bed before she could get her bra all the way off, and just like that they were tangled together again, his cock inside her, and Becky realized it was the first time in the day she had felt calm and steady. It was a weird thought, given the thrusts and the moans and the teasing, but she was so used to fucking him now that on the days when she didn't get to, it crept into her thoughts, her dreams. Sometimes she could get herself off in the shower, but only if she was picturing Seth kneeling in front of her. "This is so much better than being in an office," she sighed, fingers curling around Seth's shoulders.

"I don't remember you minding being bent over that desk," Seth replied, pushing deeper and grinning as she gasped. "Or that closet with the ladder."

"Except I nearly broke my finger in the ladder, remember?" Their hasty escapade with the ladder had made it difficult to watch the ladder match the next night without getting some decidedly non-wrestling ideas for the tables and chairs as well.

In between rounds of sex, she and Seth talked about the possibilities of the next arena and once, when Roman had called Seth with a question about an upcoming charity event, Becky repaid the favour as promised, sucking Seth off until he had to relent and put Roman on hold while he came. "Fuck," he swore after he disconnected and flopped back against the bed. He started to roll to the side before he paused. "I just need a minute to catch my breath and then I should probably go." He sounded almost as lost as Charlotte had.

Becky tried to disguise her wince with a shiver. People expected her to be cold, so it was a handy way to hide discomfort. "Didn't the bars just let out about half an hour ago?" It was a guess at best, especially since she hadn't looked at a clock. "A bunch of people could be making their way back. Maybe you should wait for a bit." It was obvious bait and she wanted to see how Seth respond. _Call me out,_ she thought, willing him to have the audacity she didn't. _Say 'If you want me to stay, just say so.'_

The look Seth gave her wasn't easy to read, but she didn't think he bought her line of reasoning. "Sure. If that's cool with you." He settled back on the bed and watched her closely.

"It is. Besides," Becky added, swallowing her disappointment as she let her fingers trail down his chest, "I didn't have a chance to top you yet tonight. . . ."

Seth laughed, tugging her down to his chest. "Ulterior motives? I'm shocked. Was it in the rules that you get to top at least once every single time?"

"That's the main rule," Becky countered. "Why did you think I agreed to this anyway?" She was only teasing, but the sudden sharp worry that he might not take it that way made her anxious.

Luckily Seth smiled, taking her hand and pushing it down to his cock. "I guess I need to reread the rules. I'll take your word for it tonight, though."

Becky stroked him steadily until his breathing started to quicken and then she straddled him, teasing them both by rocking back until only the very tip of him was still inside her before easing back down. She rode him as long as she could, drawing out the pleasure. _Don't be sappy. It's not like you're not fucking him tomorrow,_ she thought, but she quickly shoved that voice aside as she came. Sex like this was so much better than the rush jobs they had to content themselves with in the arenas.

After that orgasm finally ebbed and Becky was trying to think of another reason to get Seth to stay, he stood slowly, combing his fingers through his hair. "Guess I should get going." He took his time walking around the bed and collecting his clothes, though, long enough that Becky considered offering to help. After Seth tied his shoes, he lingered at the foot of the bed. "See you at the arena tomorrow, I guess. Have fun babysitting Charlotte's hangover."

Becky grimaced at that. If Charlotte's drunken calls were difficult to deal with, the day after was twice as bad. "Thanks. Have a good night." Before she could talk herself out of it, she bounced to her feet and kissed him. "Hurry back to your room before someone spots you."

"Yeah." Seth returned the kiss in a daze, drawing it out into more than a simple goodnight, and when he finally stepped back and grabbed the door handle, his eyes were beguilingly dark. "Get some sleep."

"You too." Still naked, Becky stayed far from the door as Seth slipped out, then shuffled over to flip all the locks. She almost got back to the bed when she heard a loud laugh and froze. _That's Roman._ Frantic, she scanned the floor for her clothes, but she could only find pieces; her bra had landed on her bag and her leggings snaked halfway under the bed. It would take to long to gather everything together, so she reached behind the bathroom door, grabbed the hotel-issue robe, and belted it into place before hurrying back to the door to look out the tiny peephole.

Seth and Roman were just standing at the edge of her vision, and Roman seemed to be giving him a hard time. Making sure her robe was firmly shut, Becky opened her door and tried to look annoyed. "People are trying to sleep, Reigns."

"Hey, Bex. Sorry to wake you." Dropping his voice, Roman slugged Seth in the shoulder. "See what you did?" Becky's heart skipped a beat until Roman added, "You interrupted Becky's sleep with your wandering the halls."

Standing slightly behind Roman, Seth shot Becky a lopsided grin. "Sorry, Bex."

"Don't apologize to me," Becky replied with a chuckle. "Apologize to the McMahons when I'm useless on Monday night because I didn't get enough sleep." Just as she was about to shut her door, there was more commotion, and Roman hurried towards the connecting hallway. After lots of _shhh_ -ing and shuffling, Roman reappeared with Sasha, trying to hold Charlotte up between them. Sasha was holding Charlotte's towering heels, but being barefoot didn't seem to help Charlotte's balance much. "How much did she drink?" Becky asked with a sigh.

"I drank all the drinks," Charlotte declared, "because my bestie-wife wouldn't come drink with me." When she tried to wave an accusing finger at Becky, she ended up hitting Roman's chin and then getting her ring caught in Sasha's hair. "You know what you need, Bex?"

Becky did her best not to laugh. Charlotte had a night like this every few months and it was best not to take it too seriously. "A drink, according to you."

Charlotte shook her head so violently she nearly toppled over. "No. No, you need to get laid." She looked around at the assembled wrestlers as if she could find a suitable candidate. "Not Sasha; she's married." Then she peered up at Roman. "Are you still married?"

Roman hid his chuckle with a cough. "Yes, ma'am. Quite happily." 

" _Fine_." Then Charlotte turned on Seth. "Are you married?"

Seth's eyes brightened with a hint of panic as he looked between Roman and Becky. "Uh, no. . . ."

"Good! Why is everyone always _married?_ Go buy your own jewellery, you fucking cheapskates!" Charlotte tried to snap her fingers, but lacked the coordination so she ended up just pointing at Becky. "Go fuck my friend, okay? She's super hot, I promise. It'll be fun."

"Oh my _god_ , Charlotte." Sasha clamped a hand over Charlotte's mouth. "Roman, help me get her to her room before she sells Becky to someone for two goats and a chicken."

Charlotte pawed at Sasha's muffling hand. "Becky doesn't want a pet chicken. She wants a _pug_."

Becky's eyes had gone wide enough that she was surprised they were still in her head. "Well, she got one thing right out of all . . . that."

Roman made a face, raising both eyebrows. "Good luck getting back to sleep. C'mon, Sash. Let's get the queen to her royal chamber."

Seth rocked back on his heels, hands in his pockets. "Need me for anything?"

Sasha shook her head. "Nah. Roman and I got it. I just hope she didn't wake anyone else up." 

After watching Sasha and Roman wrangle Charlotte down the hallway, Seth returned to Becky's door, expression still incredulous. "So . . . your friend just told me you're super hot and that I should come over here and fuck you. . . ."

Becky covered her face with her hands. "Holy fuck. I'm so sorry. She normally doesn't get that drunk. I'll talk with her in the morning, but I'm sure she doesn't know anything."

Seth's mouth twitched in a smirk. "I don't know. She was right about a few things. You _are_ super hot," he declared. Then, dropping his voice to a whisper, he added, "And fucking you _is_ fun."

" _Go_ already!" Becky gave him the quickest of kisses before shoving his chest and shutting her door firmly, locking it before she could lose her resolve. That had cut it far too close for comfort. Another minute or two more and Roman might have seen Seth coming out of her room—or worse, _Charlotte_ might have. They would have to be more careful.

The next morning, Becky got up early to have a quick breakfast and then put together a morning-after hangover kit for Charlotte from the convenience store across the street, consisting mostly of electrolyte drinks, bottles of water, and some energy bars. When she knocked gingerly on her friend's door, she heard Charlotte swear and stumble into something. "So _loud_. . . ."

"Hey." Becky smiled when Charlotte opened the door. "Happy Hangover Day. I bring you the traditional gift of beverages. I figured you'd have something for your headache."

"Bex." Charlotte moved to hug her, but she ended up nearly draping herself across Becky's shoulders instead. "Ugh, what did I do?"

"Before you got to the hotel? Not a clue." Becky herded Charlotte back into her room and shut the door. If Charlotte was going to bring up the incident with Roman and Seth again, Becky didn't want anyone to overhear. It was just drunken talk, she knew, but it was memorable enough to stick in people's heads, and once people had a notion, they tried to find evidence to back it up. "Drink," Becky advised, handing Charlotte one of the electrolyte drinks. If anyone could arrive at a show with a hangover and not suffer repercussions, it would be Charlotte, but Becky would do her best to make sure her friend didn't have to test the theory.

Charlotte pawed at the bottle in futility for a moment before handing it to Becky to open. "What did I do here? I found some of Sasha's hair in my ring. Did I fuck Sasha?"

Becky shrugged. "Not as far as I know, no. You'd have to ask her."

"Okay." A moment later, Charlotte added, "Did I fuck you?"

"No. That one I'm sure of." Becky grabbed a hair tie from the dresser and pulled Charlotte's hair into a loose ponytail while she nursed her electrolyte drink. 

Slumping in the desk chair, Charlotte looked up at Becky blearily. "There was something about sex. Did I tell someone to fuck? Ugh, why did I drink so much?"

Becky stayed silent for a moment, deciding how much to tell. Roman and Seth probably wouldn't reveal the whole story to Charlotte, but Sasha might hold it over her. "You told me I needed to get laid." That seemed safe enough to report.

Charlotte's grimace was almost comical. "Ugh. I'm sorry, babe."

"No worries." Becky took all the other drinks and snacks she bought out of the bag and lined them up on the desk so Charlotte could take her pick. "You weren't making a lot of sense, so I didn't take it personally."

"Good." Charlotte's face crumpled up as she tried to think. "There was more, wasn't there? Something about goats?"

Becky laughed awkwardly, shifting around on the bed. "Ah, no. Sasha joked that you were going to try to sell me off for two goats and a chicken."

"That's ridiculous," Charlotte sniffed. "You're clearly worth at least five goats." Both women laughed, even though it made Charlotte wince. "There's more. I know there's more. Just tell me so I know, Bex."

With a sigh, Becky leaned back on the bed. _Might as well get it over with,_ she thought. "After you told me I needed to get laid, you . . . tried to enlist Sasha, but then you remembered that she's married. Same with Roman."

"Oh." Charlotte's laugh started out as a stutter and dissolved into a breathy giggle, nearly making her cough up her drink. "I thought someone else was there too, though. Another guy?"

"Yeah." Becky sat on her hands so she couldn't fidget. "Seth was."

"Shit." Charlotte's giggles continued. "Did I tell him to fuck you too?"

"Um. You did, yes." Becky gazed out the window so her expression couldn't give anything away. "You said, and I quote, _She's super hot, I promise. It'll be fun._ "

" _Oh my god._ " Charlotte folded her arms on the desk and buried her head in them. "I'm so sorry, Bex. He didn't . . . like . . . you know?"

Becky stood and kissed the top of her friend's head. "He knows you were out of it, don't worry. Go take a hot shower and we'll get you a proper breakfast."

"Thank you, babe. You're the best." Charlotte finished the one electrolyte drink and took another in with her to the shower. 

While the water ran and Charlotte sang out of tune, Becky helped herself to one of the bottles of water. The whole mess with Roman and then Charlotte just reinforced that she and Seth needed to be more cautious. They had almost been caught twice in one night, and had only avoided it through sheer luck. She had to smile when she thought back to Charlotte's ramble, though, because it wasn't entirely off the mark. Becky had no clue how many goats or chickens she might be worth, but fucking Seth definitely was fun.


	5. Chapter 5

_It's casual,_ Seth had reasoned. _We're casual. It'll work._ It hadn't stopped him from second-guessing the text with every heartbeat until Becky replied. _Maybe the picture was too much?_

_Kevin misses me, huh?_ read her reply, along with an eye-rolling emoji, and it made Seth breathe a sigh of relief. Given his history with leaked photos, he wouldn't have blamed Becky if she hadn't wanted to open the message, but hopefully she knew he was smarter now. Whenever they hooked up, there was a strict no-pictures policy. Seth had to laugh at that: It was possibly the only rule they had set that they _hadn't_ broken yet, and he didn't see that changing any time soon. As much as he would have loved to have some sexy pictures of Becky, he knew that was something that could end up ruining both their careers.

A cute picture of his dog looking forlorn, however, seemed to be safe enough. _He does,_ Seth replied. _He'd be super happy if you visited this weekend._ He had wanted to ask her in person, but for some reason, both of them were in high demand that Monday night. They hadn't even been able to sneak off for their regular quickie, and it was putting him on edge.

A minute went by, then two. He was almost starting to worry when his phone chimed. _I'm still here. Just trying to think of an answer that doesn't sound like a euphemism._ Hearing it in her voice, picturing her expression, Seth laughed so loud at Becky's reply that it startled the camera crew setting up for his promo. After murmuring a quick apology, he glanced back down at his phone to see her next text. _Fri-Sat I can do, but I have an interview on Sunday that I can't reschedule._

Seth nodded to himself. WWE's schedule hadn't brought them back to California in weeks, and they weren't scheduled to be in Iowa again until the end of the year, so they had been settling for the arena quickies and a few hotel hook-ups, although nearly being discovered by Roman had made them too cautious to push their luck too far. He missed the hours-long sessions, the laughter in between, the meals shared sitting naked on the floor. In the most inexplicable way, he missed _her_.

He hadn't wanted to say that, though, especially not in a text that could be easily hacked or copied. Enter the cute picture of his Yorkie, Kevin. Pugs were Becky's favourite, but she adored Kevin too and Seth would swear that the little dog actually missed her. Every time Seth came home alone, Kevin looked at the door expectantly, waiting for Becky to follow; when he realized that she wasn't there, Kevin would curl into a ball on her favourite spot and huff out a sigh. _Let me know your flight info and I'll pick you up,_ he replied. When a cameraman signalled him to get in place for his promo, he sent Becky a boxing glove emoji—their quick symbol that meant they wouldn't be able to reply for a while. "Sorry, guys," Seth said, jamming his phone in his pocket. "Where do you need me?"

Just knowing he'd get to spend at least part of the weekend with Becky made the rest of his week better, even if he did have the nagging sense that he was forgetting something. It haunted him all the way to the airport on Friday afternoon, where he wore a baseball cap and sunglasses to try going incognito. When he spotted Becky wearing much the same, he smiled to himself. "Thanks for coming to get me." He had to do a double take because she was using an American accent that was nearly flawless, and she had brushed a quick kiss across his cheek before adjusting her knapsack on her back. "So where did you park?"

"Um. My regular." Seth grabbed her other bag and she let him, and he wasn't surprised that it was a small suitcase she could stow as a carry-on. She liked to make her airport experiences as short as possible, and it wasn't exactly as if a night out on the town was in their plans; for their regular fare, they didn't need much in the way of clothes at all. "Thanks for coming."

"Well, you know. Anything for Kevin," Becky replied with a grin. The mirrored lenses of her sunglasses reflected his slightly dazed expression back at him.

Seth laughed awkwardly. "He does miss you, you know. Seriously. I should take a video the next time I come home without you. It's hilarious."

Becky gave his arm a gentle smack. "Don't make fun of his feelings. I think that's sweet."

_Feelings._ They were such a damn tightrope, and Seth wanted to run when he could barely walk. If he had to develop feelings for someone, was it so horrible if they were for Becky? They had been friends since NXT. She was smart, funny, kind, and she loved wrestling as much as he did. She should have been a perfect match. The only problem was that she wanted something casual, and Seth was pretty sure 'My dog misses you' had jumped right over that fence and landed squarely in another type of relationship entirely.

"I'm sure Kevin will appreciate you defending his honor." Seth kept the conversation light on the drive home, smiling as Kevin tried to leap into Becky's arms the instant he saw her. While she fussed over his dog, Seth took Becky's bags to the spare room. "You cool with ordering in for dinner?" he called out.

"Yeah." Kevin echoed Becky's agreement with a series of barks. "I think that means Kevin would like a long walk with a side of chasing squirrels."

"No squirrel chasing today," Seth replied, grabbing the leash from the coat closet. "But I'm up for a walk if you are." He left his baseball cap and sunglasses on the entry table. People in his immediate neighbourhood knew he was a wrestler, but they all respected his privacy. "We can talk about supper on the way," he added, handing the leash to Becky.

"Is this for Kevin or for you?" she teased, crouching down to clip the leash to Kevin's collar. The dog strained towards the door, so Seth grabbed his keys and let Becky and Kevin out so he could reset the alarm. The walk was leisurely and lovely, with Becky remarking on all the trees and flowers that she didn't get to see in Los Angeles, but as soon as they finished their circuit and were heading back up Seth's walkway, her tone changed. "Since I flew all the way out here, I think I should get first pick," she declared.

Seth knew she wasn't talking about dinner. "Let me guess. It involves me on my knees?"

"Clever boy." Becky laughed when Kevin's ears perked up at the familiar phrase, and she reached down to pat his head while Seth opened the door. "Not for you this time, Kev."

"Let's just hope you wore him out enough." As soon as Seth unclipped the leash, Kevin raced towards Becky's favourite spot, curled up, and was snoozing in seconds. "So . . . dinner?"

They shared a knowing look and shook their heads at almost the same time. "I can wait," Becky said simply, leaving her shoes by the door. Then she pointed at the cordless phone base on the entry table. "You have a lot of messages."

"I'll get them later. Probably the bank or something." Then Seth swept her up into a hungry kiss, making it halfway up the stairs before he had his hand inside her leggings. "I've been looking forward to this all week," he murmured, closing his bedroom door behind them in case Kevin woke up and decided to find them.

"Same." Becky wriggled out of her leggings easily, and Seth paused for a moment to appreciate the skill set they were developing due to the arena quickies. Now they could have their clothes off in under a minute without a single snag or tear. While Seth spread her legs, Becky squirmed out of her shirt and bra and stretched luxuriously. "Yep. Clever, _clever_ boy," she sighed as Seth's tongue ran across her clit.

Seth was happy to oblige her whims for the first hour; she had flown all the way out to him, after all. Then they half-dressed and called for take-out, gently placing the still-dozing Kevin in the dog room so he wouldn't interrupt. As they ate, Seth barely stole any glances at her bare legs or the flashes of her breasts when she reached for another napkin, and it wasn't because he had seen it all before. It was because he wanted to remember other things too: her unguarded smile, her uninhibited laugh as she spilled sauce on her foot, how she didn't care that her hair was sticking out in three different directions. For all the hoops they had to jump through to spend time together, she was incredibly easy to be around; time spent with her felt like a treat, a treasure, not an obligation.

"I want to show you the new art piece I got before we go back upstairs." He could hear his cell phone ringing but ignored it as he took Becky by the hand and led her to his games room. "It's made out of crushed records," he explained, standing behind her so she could examine it.

"Neat." She did a slow turn and looked at the other art on the walls. "You know, I don't think we've fucked in here yet."

"Once or twice," Seth corrected, "but if it wasn't that memorable, I'm happy to have a rematch." He tugged on her panties until Becky sat back on the sofa and peeled them off, setting them on a pillow.

"Oh, really? In that case, I really don't remember fucking in the kitchen at all," Becky laughing, gripping Seth's hair as he knelt between her legs again. When a sharp trill rang out, Seth thought it was Becky at first and was surprised that she could be coming so quickly. Then the second ring made him look up and see the phone on the side table beside Becky. With Seth still between her legs, she looked over at the display. "It's Xavier?"

"Shit." The nagging feeling that had underscored his thoughts all week slapped him right in the face. "The UpUpDownDown contender match for the charity tournament is tonight. I forgot. It should only be an hour." He reached for the phone. "I'll tell him—"

"It's fine." Becky crawled off the sofa and scurried to the door. "I can amuse myself for an hour. And not like that, even." 

The door shut behind her just as Seth took the call. "Woods. Man, I'm sorry. I completely lost track of time. I took my dog for a walk and ordered some dinner and—"

"Less talking," Xavier said, "and more playing! Get online already!"

"Fine. Give me a couple minutes." Seth hung up and hurried through the motions of connecting his system and setting everything up. UpUpDownDown wasn't an official WWE obligation, but it was something Seth enjoyed doing, so he tried to take part when he could. When the large screen filled with various competitors' faces, Seth held up his hands. "Sorry, guys. Sorry. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Woods said you had ordered dinner," Samoa Joe remarked, leaning back in his chair and smirking. "I guess we know what you were eating."

It wasn't until some of the other guys started to chuckle that Seth started looking around and noticed Becky's panties on the pillow beside him, bright bold red against the black upholstery. "Oh. Um. That's not . . . um, not from today." Seth shut his eyes. How would that make it _better_?

Joe just laughed. "You keep playing _those_ games, Rollins. Just means I'll have no problem whipping your ass at these ones."

"You wish." Seth tossed the panties towards the door and did another quick glance. He was only wearing his workout shorts, but that wasn't too unusual for a gaming session. There were no tell-tale hickeys or scratches on his chest that he could see, so he would just have to hope he looked presentable enough for an hour. _At least this isn't being streamed,_ Seth thought.

Compared to time with Becky, the hour seemed to drag, but he got himself well positioned for the upcoming charity tournament, at least. By the time all the brackets were assigned and people started signing off, most of them seem to have forgotten about the panties—except Joe, of course. "Rollins, hold up," he said, waiting until everyone else had disconnected to continue. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. You've got a good thing going and I respect that."

Seth felt his gut clench. _Good thing going?_ Did Joe know? How long had he known? Who else knew? Frantic questions sliced through his brain like paper cuts, the sting only coming after he had moved on to the next. "What do you mean?"

Joe pointed to the pillow where the panties had been. "You got a new girl. Figured as much. You've been way too happy backstage lately. You're even forgetting to smirk sometimes. Things must be going well, so good job."

It made him think of the _Clever boy_ exchange with Becky earlier and Seth had to laugh. "Oh, right. Yeah. It's just casual right now," Seth bluffed. "But we're having fun."

"Clearly." Then Joe leaned forward. "You sure about that first part, though? That it's casual? Because you sure haven't been acting like it. Haven't seen you rush to get home in a long while."

Seth tried to shrug it off. "I got my dog, man, and my coffee shop and the wrestling school—"

The corner of Joe's mouth quirked up. "And your girl. You want to play coy, Rollins, that's fine. I'm just saying you're not being an insufferable asshole for once, and it's kinda nice. So don't screw this up. And wash her panties before you give them back. It shows you have domestic skills. Always handy." Then Joe logged off as well, leaving Seth with a darkened screen that reflected his stunned expression.

After Seth had shut everything down and put his gear away, he grabbed the panties and headed upstairs. Becky, now wearing a robe, was sitting in her favourite spot in the living room, watching retro music videos. "My panties," she said immediately, face going bright red as he set them on the coffee table.

Seth shrugged it off with a laugh as he sat beside her. "Not a big deal. Samoa Joe razzed me, which is nothing new; it just gave him some different ammunition, which was kind of nice, because it meant I got new trash talk, at least." For a moment he considered sharing some of what Joe said—that the relationship must be going well and that it was having a positive effect on Seth—but he kept it to himself for the time being. He had just interrupted sex for a video game, essentially, so flattery might not be the best option.

"Sorry." Becky drew her knees up to her chest. "I thought of them the second I stepped out of the room, but I didn't want to go back in—"

"I guess you'll just have to stop wearing underwear when you're at my place," Seth teased, "and then we won't have that issue again. Problem solved." He grabbed Becky's ankles and pulled her legs across his lap. "No time like the present, right?"

Becky laughed at that, turning at the waist so her legs were at a better angle. "Yeah, about that. . . ."

When Seth's hand reached the top of her thigh, he quickly realized she wasn't wearing anything beneath the robe. "Well, that's one problem solved." He loosened the robe's sash with his other hand and spread the sides apart.

"What's the next problem on the agenda?" Becky asked, settling onto his lap.

Seth grinned and stood suddenly, lifting Becky up with him. "Deciding which bed to fuck you on next."

They didn't end up making it to a bed, at least not for the first round. Joe's comments about his girl and the transformation she had sparked in him had his head whirling, and he ended up tumbling them both to the floor, fucking so hard the area rug bunched up beneath Becky in undulating waves. When they were both ready to move again, Seth pulled her robe off so it wouldn't get in the way and then they staggered up the stairs.

It was hot and agonizing and delicious, a fast-paced but drawn-out vacation from their regular lives, but somehow Seth didn't find it as satisfying as usual. It wasn't the sex; that was incredible as always. It was more that instead of hot, sometimes he found himself wanting comfortably warm instead, or content instead of hungry, or sweet instead of fiery. It wasn't that he didn't want what he had anymore; he wanted that plus _more_. The thought haunted his sleep, jolting him awake at every sound or movement he sensed. When Becky woke, muttered something under her breath, and started to rise from the bed, he had already been awake for almost an hour, almost hypnotized by the steadiness of her breathing. "Don't," he whispered, not wanting to startle her.

"Shit. I didn't mean to wake you." Becky struggled with the covers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sleep that long. I'll get out of your way—"

Seth went to grab her wrist, but he caught her fingers instead, twining them with his. "Don't. You don't have to leave." His heart gave one long thump that made his gut feel like a bass drum. They might have dozed together after sex, but one of them inevitably woke up and left before true morning came. He wondered if it was some sort of Cinderella spell: _Be in your own bed by sun-up, or else the spell will be broken._

This wasn't a spell or a dream or a fantasy. He might not have had a word for it, but whatever it was, it was the best thing in his life for a long time and he didn't want it to break.

Becky went still, fingers curling in his as a fine shiver made her shoulders twitch. "I . . . I just thought we normally—"

_Just ask_ , he told himself. _If she doesn't want to, that's that. But then you'll know._ "There's nothing normal about this," he began, "so why are we so worried about rules? Can't we just . . . not devour each other for once? No one's here; we don't have to worry about being caught." Seth took a deep breath to keep his voice level. "Don't you ever want to just . . . go slow?"

Snuggling back under the covers, Becky kept their hands entwined, gazing down at their fingers. "I thought you wanted to be. . . ." Another shiver ran down her spine and Seth edged closer, wrapping his free arm around her. "You always seemed to be into tearing off clothes and all that, so I thought. . . ."

"I like it. I do," Seth insisted. "I like everything we do. But . . . I want to savour you too." The room was still dark enough that he hoped she couldn't read his expression. She was probably going to think he was being needy or sappy, but the more he thought about how he had changed, the more he felt like he couldn't go on without their relationship changing in kind. His wants, his needs, his wishes: they were all starting to align, and they were all starting to include Becky. "I want more than this," he admitted flatly; his mind was too muddled to sugarcoat anything. "And I know that's not what we agreed on, so if that's not what you want, I understand, but I'm just trying to be honest and—"

Becky darted forward and kissed him, but all her quickness evaporated once their lips touched. Then she was tentative and questing, making Seth think of being a teenager in a world of firsts, overwhelmed by choice. When she finally let his hand go, it was to slide hers into his hair, drawing him closer. "If you want to try," she whispered against his lips, "I'm game."

_I'm game._ Not _Just this once_ or _Only at my place or yours_. _I'm game_ opened doors instead of building walls, and the words rang in Seth's ears as he gathered Becky as close to him as he could. The familiar urges were still there, to press her against the bed and enter her or to roll on his back and watch her sink down on him, but the hunger for this—softness, intimacy, touch—was so much stronger. They stayed side by side, kissing languidly, until Becky's shivers had faded away. "I think my left arm is going numb," Seth confided as he stopped for air.

Becky's giggle seemed to echo in the small space between their bodies. "Thank fuck. I thought it was just me." Then she groaned. "And of course I need the bathroom. Be right back." Wrapping her arms around herself, Becky lurched out of his bed and scurried to his en suite as if she were crossing the Arctic wearing only a bikini.

Seth took the chance to roll onto his back and shake out his now-tingling arm while he caught his breath. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open, but the moment was so fraught and fantastic and he didn't want to lose his grasp on it for a second. When Becky returned, she practically dived onto the bed, cuddling up to him as close as she could. "You can't possibly get cold that fast," he remarked, wrapping both arms around her to help her warm up again.

"I do." She burrowed closer, burying her face in his chest. "You're always so _warm_. I hate that I can't hug you backstage without worrying about what someone's going to say."

It had the air of a confession, so Seth tried one of his own. "I keep having to stop myself from touching you. Just . . . little things. Not the obvious, but like a kiss on the head or just squeezing your hand."

Becky laughed again. "I always find myself wanting to hug you from behind when you're wearing your Black and Brave hoodie and stick my hands in your pockets."

Seth imagined her doing that, face pressed to his back with her fingers tickling him through his shirt, and he had to bite his lip so he didn't sigh. He craved that sort of intimacy just as much as sex, and the two often tangled together in his brain. "Kevin does honestly miss you, you know. I wasn't just making that up."

"That's sweet." Becky turned to the side so she breathe more easily, pressing her ear to his chest. "I'm glad he's comfortable with me. I like being here. It's so much different than L.A."

"Your place is good too," Seth said quickly. "It feels more like a place someone lives to me. More adult or something."

Becky reached up and stroked his beard for a moment, eyelashes fluttering against his chest. "You could kiss the top of my head now, you know. We're at your house. No one's here to see." 

The familiar refrain made them both laugh, and Seth was happy to oblige, burying his face in her hair. "Careful. I might get used to that."

"Same." Becky slid her hand down his chest and let it linger over his navel, rising and falling with each breath. "We might need to draft some new rules," she conceded.

"Probably should. I can think of some other things we should do first, though." Then Seth kissed her again, rolling her onto her back, and they both lost track of how much time passed between then and when he finally eased inside her, so smooth and seamless it was like their bodies were meant to move together. It was new territory all over again, this slowness, but they had already gone through so much that this held no fear.


	6. Chapter 6

_Normal_ got a bad rap, as far as Becky was concerned. Adventure was great and all, but life on the road gave her a greater appreciation for the so-called simple things, like a cozy home and sleeping in her own bed. She tried not to take them for granted, and she figured that was part of the problem she had with what she and Seth had agreed on. Sex was part of an ordinary romantic relationship for her, but so were a million other little things, and having the sex without everything else was throwing her off balance. She still wanted Seth and she still wanted the sex—very enthusiastically so—but she wanted all the other regular things that most relationships had as well. She wanted to surprise him with—or be surprised by—fresh coffee upon waking. She wanted the simple, silly joy of walking into her favourite cafe and spot him waiting for her, his face lighting up as soon as she came in. She wanted to find out how he would irritate her, what their disagreements would be like, how they would make up and move forward. There were some things she knew just by virtue of being his friend—favourite foods, pet peeves, those sorts of things—but they just reinforced all the other things she wanted to be part of.

Her father had told her once that a good relationship was like an artist's palette. Every colour needed to have a spot, but you also had to know how to blend them. She didn't want her relationship with Seth to be sex on one side and friendship on the other with an unfathomable chasm between. She'd rather have everything blend and bleed together into one beautiful, baffling mess. After the weekend at Seth's, now she had hope that he wanted the same, or at least something similar. Was it enough to be on the same page? Becky wasn't sure, and now she couldn't even find Seth to ask him how he felt.

Backstage action was conspiring to keep them apart. Their interviews were scheduled just close enough that there was barely enough time to murmur a greeting as they passed behind the cameras. Their matches were back to back. Either the universe was working against her or someone at head office had figured out what was going on and had decided to bring it to a crashing halt. So after pacing and thinking and fretting, she decided there was only one course of action: she was going to ask him out on a date.

The idea was laughable. They had known each other for over half a decade. They'd had sex more often in a few months than she had with some partners she had dated for years. Going on a date seemed like it would be a regression, but maybe they had to go back to move forward. _As long as it doesn't mean giving up EVERYTHING_ , Becky thought, wringing her hands together as she kept up her search. Whenever doubts crept in, she pinched herself. _He can't be the one making ALL the moves._ From their first hook-up at his house, he had instigated most of the big moves in their relationship. Now it was her turn.

Eventually she caved and approached Roman, who was taping up his wrists in preparation for his upcoming match. "Hey. Have you seen Seth lately? I need to talk with him."

"Thought I saw him in Catering," Roman said, giving her a quick hug as he straightened up. "What's up? You look . . . conflicted. Anything I can help with?"

Becky shook her head. As much as she would have loved to get some advice or even just have someone to confide in, Seth deserved to hear it all first. _Besides, if he turns me down, then no one else knows,_ she thought darkly. "No. But thanks. Have a good match." After patting his shoulder, she headed towards Catering, hoping the scents of reheated food and stale coffee wouldn't turn her stomach against her.

Her heart soared at the same time her stomach plummeted, making her core feel alarmingly empty. Hardly anyone else was in the room; Seth was sitting by the coffee urns, looking content—and gorgeous, of course. And sitting across from him was Samoa Joe. _Do it,_ she ordered herself. She hadn't wanted or planned for an audience, but now she thought it might not be a bad idea. If nothing else, it would prove that she was serious, and if someone had to be present, she was glad it was Joe; for all his menace, he had one of the most unshakable moral codes she'd ever witnessed. If they asked Joe not to say anything, he wouldn't, end of story.

"Hey, Lynch." Joe leaned back in his chair and gave her a welcoming nod as she approached. "Have you met Seth's new girl yet? He's being cagey and won't say much," he added with a smirk, "but I've seen her underwear, so I can at least make an educated guess at her size."

Becky shot Seth the quickest of looks before squaring her shoulders. "I can too," she said with a confidence she didn't fully feel, "because those were mine."

Joe's chair dropped firmly back into place and the look of stunned confusion on his face was so theatrical that Becky almost wished she had her phone handy so she could take a picture. Seth's surprised expression was just as good, mostly because she could see past the shock to the giddy joy behind it. "They . . . what now?" Then he looked back and forth between Becky and Seth, eyes narrowing shrewdly. "I mean, I suppose I can see it. Lynch is definitely an upgrade for you, Rollins."

Seth spread his arms wide, shoving aside his shock long enough to be indignant. "And what am I?"

Joe sniffed and gave the smallest shrug possible. "Acceptable. Lynch can do better, but if she's into it, I'm fine with that."

"You're . . . you're _fine with that_?" Seth's shock returned in a second wave, making him sputter.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out on the weekend," Becky piped up, jamming her hands in her pockets. It was too late to make a graceful save and that hadn't exactly been the way she wanted to announce their relationship, but if it made an impression on Joe, that meant it had some heft. "But I don't know if you have another UpUpDownDown thing. . . ."

"He does not. I'll make sure of it." Laughing, Joe stood and held the chair out for Becky. "I still think you can do better, Lynch," he intoned, bending down to her ear, "but if you think he's worth your time, I'll take your word for it."

"Thanks, Joe." It meant an absurd amount to have someone's support, which surprised her. Glancing around the room, she was glad to note that everyone else was at the other side and didn't seem to have overheard. "You'll keep it under your hat, yeah?"

Joe mimed tipping the brim of his hat. "Of course. As the saying goes, no one would believe me if I said anything." He shot Seth another look and shook his head. "I certainly wouldn't." Then he started to walk away and Seth breathed a sigh of relief until Joe came back, bending close to Becky's ear again. "Did he at least wash them for you? I told him he should."

Becky's laugh came out more like a snort. "Yes. Yes, he did."

Joe straightened up and gave Seth an approving nod. "Keep it up. Maybe there's hope for you yet." Then he sauntered off, leaving Becky and Seth looking at each other with a mixture of amusement and mortification.

"That . . . wasn't exactly how I intended to ask you on a date this weekend," Becky confided, clasping her hands together. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Seth still sounded dazed. "I—" Then his eyes went wide. "Date? A date? I thought—"

Ducking her head, Becky nodded. "I know. It's not . . . what we agreed on. And if you don't want to, that's cool. It doesn't have to change . . . the other thing." Even if they had been alone in the room, she wasn't sure she could have said it out loud; now that she was contemplating a relationship, the just-sex agreement made her feel vaguely guilty. "I just thought . . . after the weekend, with all the talking—" She forced herself to pause. This wasn't something to dance around; she needed to be direct and honest and if it ended up getting her hurt, then she would just have to deal with that. Miscommunication was part of what had tangled everything up in the first place; she wanted to clear things up, not make them even more cloudy. "It made me realize that I wanted more and it made me think you might feel the same, so I figured it was worth a shot."

When Becky felt something warm glide over her knuckles, she thought she must have kicked the table while she was fidgeting and spilled the remains of Joe's coffee on her hand. When she looked down, though, she saw Seth squeezing her fingers. "I do, but you know some of the relationship problems I've had in the past. . . ."

"I'm not those girls," Becky said simply, "and you're not that guy anymore. None of that matters to me. We'll have problems, but they'll be our own." Then she chuckled. _Way to get ahead of yourself, Lynch. He hasn't even agreed to anything yet._ With a sheepish smile, she added, "If you want to try, that is."

"You know I do." His fingers curled around hers. "So what did you have in mind for a date?"

"Date?" They had been so engrossed in each other that they hadn't noticed the shadow that fell across their table, and Becky was just grateful that the surprise had lowered Charlotte's voice rather than raised it to a supersonic shriek.

"Char, please. No one knows yet." Becky glanced quickly at Seth, who nodded. No good could come of telling Charlotte that Samoa Joe had been the first to be formally told, and they both knew that Joe wouldn't say a word to anyone. "We're just testing the waters, you know?"

"I was right!" It was the loudest whisper Becky had ever heard, and Charlotte's delighted grin nearly split her face in two as she dragged a chair over to their table, ignoring their clasped hands. "At the hotel? I was right, wasn't I?"

"You were drunk at the hotel," Seth reminded her flatly, stroking Becky's knuckles with his thumb. 

Charlotte held up a finger in protest. "In wine there is truth! Or martinis. Whatever. I'm right, aren't I? How long have you—" Her eyes suddenly went wide and she clapped both hands over her mouth. "Were you actually fucking at the hotel?" Her voice was an incredulous whisper. "Oh my god!"

Becky shut her eyes. Charlotte may have been her best friend, but sometimes she forgot that some people didn't like to broadcast their business far and wide. "Char, _please_. It's . . . early days and we're still figuring things out, so we don't want it being out there, okay?"

"Of course. Of course." Charlotte nodded solemnly. Then she reached over and squished Becky in a hug. "Can I be happy for you at least?"

"Quietly," Becky laughed, "and subtly, yes. Thanks, Char."

"Any time, babe." Charlotte gave a happy little hop as she got to her feet and kissed the top of Becky's head. "We'll talk later!"

Becky waited until Charlotte was out of earshot. "I won't tell her details, I promise." Then she shut her eyes. "So much for keeping things quiet."

"Let's go walk," Seth suggested, reluctantly letting her hand go, "and we can talk about that date."

Their luck didn't improve much outside of Catering either. They had rounded one corner before Roman appeared, smiling broadly. "Hey, bro. Bex finally found you, huh?"

Seth raised an eyebrow. "Finally?"

"I didn't—" Becky stopped herself. If she said _I didn't tell him anything_ , Roman would know there was something to tell.

"It's okay. Charlotte knows, so might as well make it one and one." Then Seth reached for Becky's hand again, taking her by surprise this time, though she was just able to stifle her squeak. "We're going to try dating and see how it goes."

"Seriously?" Even though his eyes went wide, Roman nodded slowly, mulling the notion over. "Wow. I mean, I wouldn't have seen it, but you two have known each other forever, so I guess it makes sense. Not a lot of secrets to worry about at least, right?" Then he gave Seth a one-armed hug. "Cool. I'm happy for you both. I hope it works." When he went to hug Becky, he added, "If he gives you any trouble, just let me know."

"I heard that," Seth noted.

Roman just grinned. "Good. You were meant to." Then he winked at them and continued on, leaving them alone in the hallway.

"Maybe we should wait until we get to the hotel to discuss the date," Becky suggested, taking the chance to kiss him while they were alone. "It'll probably be easier."

"Yeah." Then Seth pursed his lips. "So if we're just starting to date, does that mean we're not—"

Becky shook her head adamantly. "Hell no." Her enthusiasm made them both blush. "I mean, we can stop if you want to. I'm just saying I definitely don't want to stop."

Seth laughed, pulling her into a recessed doorway to kiss her again. "We're just doing the relationship stuff a bit out of order, that's all. We'll tick all the boxes eventually."

"I'm pretty sure we've ticked the sex box so much we would have tore through the paper," Becky replied, letting her head rest against his chest for a moment. They both had places they needed to be and couldn't linger for long, but just having plans—even if those plans didn't extend past the night quite yet—made her feel better about what was to come. Maybe whatever kind of relationship she and Seth ended up having wouldn't be considered normal by someone else's standards, but she was happy to blur the colours on her palette and happier still that he felt the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Because it was them, their first date started with sex. Becky told herself that old habits died hard, but because of other commitments, they hadn't seen each other all week and it didn't take much to turn the warm welcoming kiss into an embrace full of grasping, questing hands. "I finally found a cover for that chair," she breathed as Seth tugged her panties and leggings down in one go. She wisely hadn't put on her shoes yet; Seth had barely managed to kick his off at the door and not trip over them.

"Good," Seth replied, kissing her shoulder after she had pulled her tank top over her head. "Have you tried it out yet?" He had her bra down her arms and on the floor in seconds.

"Not yet. I was waiting for you." Becky took longer to pull his shirt free because she liked to linger over his abs.

"Very considerate." Seth let out a low growl. "Unlike skinny jeans," he added with a note of frustration, trying to shove his jeans down.

"Careful. I have plans, you know." Becky pushed him down gently onto her favourite chair and rolled his skinny jeans down his thighs just far enough that they wouldn't be a hindrance. "A whole weekend full of plans."

Seth leaned back against the chair and watched her straddle him, resting his hands lightly on her thighs. "Is there still a date anywhere in those plans?" he teased, breath catching as lowered herself on him.

" _Yes_." Becky slid both hands into his hair and kissed him deeply, forcing herself to go slow. She did actually have plans that involved being dressed and out of the house, so she didn't want to get too carried away. "But I left some room for . . . spontaneous activities too." 

"Is that what we're calling this now?" Seth's low chuckle made her shiver even though the day was already warm and it wasn't even noon. She had originally thought Seth wouldn't make it to Los Angeles until late afternoon, but he managed to find a flight that arrived mid-morning, so she figured a slight deviation from the day's plans was justified. "Spontaneous activity?"

"I know you like a morning workout," Becky replied, pressing closer, "so I didn't want to throw you off your regular schedule too much."

"You know, I don't think this workout is available at my local gym. I should ask about it." Sitting up, Seth bent his head so he could suck on Becky's nipples more easily, and the sudden change of position made her squirm. "You okay?" he asked, bracing her back with both hands.

"Yeah. God, I love riding you." Becky barely even felt herself blush as she said it, which she considered progress. Even when the sex was fast and frantic, that didn't mean feelings didn't have their place too. She picked up her tempo until Seth's breathing was coming faster too. "And this is . . . a very advanced workout," she rasped. "You need the right partner to spot you." Then she smiled, leaning down to kiss him again. "Lucky me."

"Lucky _me_." Seth climaxed not long after that, dragging his fingers down Becky's back and making her cry out. She slumped against his chest after she came, letting him slide out of her gradually. "Need help cleaning up?" he asked softly.

Becky shook her head. "It's going to be hot out. We'll both need showers later anyway. I'll be quick. You can use the bathroom down here." After quickly collecting her clothes, she hurried to her en suite, rinsed off in the shower, and wrangled her hair into a braid before getting dressed again. It felt weird to put clothes on when her skin was still slightly damp, but the sex was too nice a way to start the day for her to complain. When she made it back to the living room, Seth's clothes were back in place and he was just putting his shoes back on. "So . . . ready for our first date?"

They both laughed, and Seth pulled her close for a kiss after he stood up. "After that workout, I hope the date at least starts with a coffee."

"You read my mind." As big as Los Angeles was, most of Becky's favourite spots were in a relatively small radius, so they took their time and walked from place to place. They were very rarely recognized, especially since most star-seekers in Los Angeles were looking for actors and musicians, not wrestlers; the few fans who did spot them were respectful, smiling and waving from a distance. They had their first coffee in the cafe, using the time to chat. Becky learned that Seth detested mint chocolate, but rather than consider that a knock against him, she decided it just meant more for her. It was strangely fun, swapping silly stories and random facts; since she already knew so much about him and vice versa, the new information added depth—and some surprising highlights—to their mental pictures of each other. 

Their second coffees were to go, only in part because the cafe was starting to get busy with the early lunch crowd. Knowing that Seth enjoyed music as much as she did, she took him to a series of used record shops. "I don't think this has been made digital yet," he remarked, turning over a CD from one of his favourite bands. "And I lost my copy in a move years ago." They both left the store with bags full of albums to round out collections as well as new stuff they encouraged each other to try.

Lunch was a compromise with them both picking their own food from a farmers' market and then sitting in a local park, watching people play with their dogs. "I used to love coming here with my pug," Becky said softly, watching a huge Great Dane romp alongside a fawn pug with the utmost care for the tiny dog. "People think L.A. is too big to be friendly, but I've never found that to be true."

Seth leaned back on his elbows and watched her. "That's because you're _you_. You draw people like a magnet."

Becky toyed with her bottle of water to keep herself from staring at him. Having so much time to spend with him, especially out in the open, was almost intoxicating. _We could make this work,_ she marvelled. _It'll take effort and time, and it won't be perfect, but if it feels anything like this, it'll be worth it._ It had taken her years to get back into wrestling; she knew a thing or two about patience and tenacity. "Nah. I think it's just being willing to put in the time. People aren't always easy to deal with. You have to see the diamond in the rough, I guess, and decide how far you're willing to dig."

He reached over and squeezed her hand before bringing it to his mouth to kiss. "I still think it's you," Seth insisted, "but whatever it is, I'm glad you thought I was worth the time back in NXT."

"God, it's been years! So crazy." Becky scooted a bit closer. "Who would have figured?" Tilting her face up to the sun, she sighed. "I wonder what Dusty would have thought?"

Seth shifted until he was stretched out beside her, resting his head just above her knee. "I think he'd be glad. He was always saying he wanted his kids to do well and be happy. He'd probably say something like _Save me a front-row seat for the wedding_."

Becky smiled when she felt Seth's neck muscles stiffen up a bit. _Our own version of first-date jitters,_ she thought, stroking his hair. They had seen every inch of each other naked, but when it came to emotional territory, they still weren't sure what they could touch. "And he'd wear a polka dot suit," she added. After a few more minutes of lounging, she tapped Seth's shoulder. "Come on. There's still more on the agenda."

"You big city people, I swear." But Seth hopped to his feet quickly and helped Becky to hers so they could gather up their garbage. "Always have to be doing something."

After they put their trash in the can, Becky hooked her arm in his. "Well, what would you like to do? You get a say too, you know."

"If I say _someone_ ," he quipped, "will you get mad?" Seth kissed her before she could answer, their shopping bags hitting their legs like wind chimes in a storm. "I'm kidding. I'm just saying you don't have to show me the whole town to impress me. I'm here to spend time with you. It doesn't matter that much to me what we're doing."

"Oh, really? So does that mean glow-in-the-dark bowling can go back on the list?" Becky bumped him with her hip. "There's a really cool retro alley that—"

"How about something that doesn't involve shoes that a thousand people have worn before us?" Seth suggested with a laugh. "Even just a walk. Honestly, Bex, I'm just happy to be here with you."

Becky's cheeks heated again and she guided them to a more shaded part of the path. "You're still getting laid tonight, Rollins. You don't have to worry about the sweet talk." Then she hopped up and kissed his cheek. "Can't say I mind it, though."

"Good." Seth stopped at the end of the path and pulled her off to the side to kiss her. "Because I kind of like saying it." The kiss stretched out until a car horn at the end of the block startled them both. "You wanted to go to some beachfront place for dinner, right?"

"I hope you like it," Becky said. Showing him around Los Angeles was like giving him access to another part of her heart, thrilling and terrifying all at once. "I reserved a window seat, so you'll get the see the sunset on the water. It's an amazing view. I always take my family there when they visit."

Seth hoisted his shopping bag. "These would just get in the way, though. We should probably drop them off at your place before we go. And if we have to dress up—"

Following his line of thought, Becky pressed close enough that she could slide her hand under his shirt without it being immediately noticeable to passersby. "Then we're going to have to get undressed first."

"Exactly." Seth's slow kiss matched his impish grin. "And if we're getting undressed anyway. . . ."

"Then we might as well head back so we have plenty of time to change," Becky finished with a wicked smile of her own. "So we have enough time to pick outfits, of course."

"Of course." Seth kissed her one last time before taking her hand. "And we'll want to make sure we have an appetite, so we should probably work out a little bit. You know, just the regular. To keep our cardio up."

"Probably should." Beaming inside and out, Becky walked hand in hand with Seth. Maybe they were doing things backwards. Maybe it wouldn't work in the end. But she'd had a lot of luck with _maybe_ s in the past, so the idea of following one into the future was just her kind of normal.


End file.
